A Fairy's Blood
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: "All we need…is just a few drops of her 'fairy' blood…" - A sinister, mysterious evil is out to get Lucy in order for the culmination of his devious plans. Killing Natsu is also on his to-do list. Eventual Natsu x Lucy. T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**I shouldn't be starting another NaLu so soon, since I've got Until She's Home Again going, but oh, well. **

**Just so my readers know, I'm trying to take a different approach on this one. I'm not exactly sure where it's going to go, but I'm willing to keep writing to find out if you're willing to keep reading. Okay? I literally have no idea what I'm doing except for this first chapter, but I do that with everything, so it might still turn out okay in the end. ****J**** Haha. But don't let my woeful lack of organization scare you off!**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it and stick with me until the end of the story! Whenever that may be. ****J**

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><p><em>Mom,<em>

_I miss you a lot, you know? I just feel like I don't say it enough when I write to you. And it's been a while since I DID write. I'm so sorry it's been such a long time. I went on a job that took us an entire _month_! Can you believe it, Mama? It was the normal group. Erza, Gray, Happy, Natsu, and me. When we got back, Mirajane almost cried! She thought they'd never see us again, which makes me think she doesn't have much confidence in us, but I know she was just worried. That's how Mira is, but I've told you that before._

_But I'm not writing to you about that. Or about the other thing I wrote to you, about my feelings for Natsu that are definitely more than friendly now. No, it's different. It scares me._

_Now, Mama, you won't tell anyone, right? Because I don't want them all to get worried until I know what it's all about. But I've been having this bad feeling lately, you know? It's almost like a sense of foreboding, and I feel like something bad will happen soon. I don't know what to do! It's just a feeling now, and it scares me half to death, but I guess I just have to wait it out and see what happens. I promise I'll tell you if anything gets worse. _

_I hope it doesn't._

_I love you, Mom._

_-Lucy_

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><p>Lucy bit her lip, staring at the words on the paper, before setting the pen down. Her hand shook, and she reached up to clasp it with the other, closing her eyes and taking a measured breath. Whatever this feeling was, she had to get over it, and fast. It was affecting her performance on jobs, and Mirajane noticed something was wrong. Levy had tried to ask her about it, but Lucy had lied and said it was nothing, that she just wasn't feeling well and that it would go away soon. She knew it was a lie. This gnawing premonition wasn't going to go away until something, most likely bad, had happened to someone dear to her.<p>

"What is this…?" Lucy asked herself, a tear slipping out as she hugged herself. She trembled violently in her chair. Even the feeling of her nails digging into the flesh of her own arms did not stop the shaking. More tears followed the first, and she reached one hand up to tangle in her bangs, gripping the hair as though it would somehow stop the sobs from forming. But form they did, and soon the cries were shaking her entire body. No matter how tightly Lucy hugged herself, she couldn't find any comfort. The tears would not relieve the tension, and they weren't even stress relieving tears to begin with. They were born of the fear she felt, the fear whose origin was unseen and unheard.

"G-get a…a hold on yourself, L-Lucy," she choked forcefully. "Y-you can't lose it l-like this. Go t-take a shower. Yeah."

It was a few minutes before she could control her weeping enough to stand without falling back to the ground, and she went to find her pajamas and a change of undergarments before making her way to the bathroom. Lucy forwent her usual caution of peeping in to see if it was occupied or not, and thankfully it wasn't, so she slid in and locked the door. Several deep, calming breaths later, she walked over to her bathtub, dropping clothes as she went. She'd pick them up to put them in the hamper later. Right now what she needed was a nice hot shower. A bath would allow for too much thinking, so a shower was just what Lucy felt she needed.

She thought of everything she could that wasn't related to her foreboding feeling, like Gajeel's song or Mira's transformations. Or even the time she discovered that Loke was Leo the Lion and she somehow saved him. She remembered Erza's childhood friends, Shou and Wally and Milliana and even Simon. Lucy recalled the once evil Jellal, and his sincere regret for what he had done and all the pain that he had caused Erza. Then she thought of the other student of Ur, aside from Gray. Lyon. And there was Sherry, the one who had taken control of Taurus the time that Lucy learned she was strong enough to do a Forced Gate Closure. Hibiki, Eve, Ren, from Blue Pegasus, and the guy who led them and was obsessed with Erza. Was his name…Ichiya? Frankly, Lucy couldn't care less about him, but she had to think of something. Her memories were in no certain order, merely coming when she needed a new one until she finally stepped out of the warm spray of water.

Lucy nearly slipped and fell on the tile floor, but caught herself on the wall. She was so distracted in her state that she could really hurt herself if she didn't start paying more attention. So she slowed her nearly frantic pace as she went to get herself a towel. More deep breaths were called for, and so she tried desperately to control her breathing. She tried to relax her body, just a little, and it began to have a bit of an effect.

The blond celestial mage dressed herself with care, making sure not to be as irrational as she had been since they had returned to Magnolia four hours ago. It wouldn't do for her to lose her head at a time like this; she had to think calmly in order to be able to understand this feeling. And even if it would be hard, she had to wait for whatever it was to come to pass. Lucy Heartfilia would not be beaten.

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><p>"<em>She seems to realize that something is coming, milord," a male voice, almost nasally, sounded from a rooftop. A window across the river lit upon the bed of a certain blonde girl, who, as the unseen watchers observed, put an arm protectively around her waist with a troubled expression on her fairly pretty features. Her faintly pink lips were drawn in almost a pouting expression, and her brown eyes turned to stare out at the water.<em>

"_Let her wallow in her fear of the unknown," another male voice, this one deep and resonating, breached the silence of the night. "Her fear will give us a better opening than we could have previously hoped. This girl is the key to our victory, Hall. The one thing we need for the culmination of all we've done for the last ten years. We will keep watch on her, let her squirm and writhe under our searching eyes. The girl will know no peace while she feels that she is being watched, that something comes. And when it is time, we will strike. Lucy Heartfilia will be ours, and we shall achieve the victory we've sought all this time. All we need…is just a few drops of her 'fairy' blood…"_

_The nasally voice let out a cackle, and the man it belonged to shifted. A ray of moonlight fell upon a terribly disfigured face, scarred and stitched mouth twisted into a maniacal sneer. Yellow eyes showed a dark and greedy glimmer, and his teeth were filed to points. The rest of his body lay mostly in shadow, but if one peered closely enough they would make out a figure just as hunched and grotesque as the man's face. The other man, whose silhouette showed him to be fairly tall and formidable, even if he was of a thinner build than most, stayed silent._

"_Yes, milord," the horribly blemished man said, the reply coming out as nearly a hiss, but the glee from his cackling still evident in his tone. And with a small sound, as though a breeze had passed through, the tall figure was gone into the night, leaving only his stooped lackey behind to watch the suspecting but ignorant girl through her window._

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><p>It was a few hours before Lucy could manage to fall asleep. And when she did, it was only to fall farther into her fear in the form of nightmares. Perhaps if it was one of the nights that she had unwelcome guests, they would have woken her up and comforted her enough that when she next fell asleep, it would be peacefully. But alas, at this time, Erza was asleep in her rented rooms, nothing troubling her at all. Gray was likewise occupied, collapsed on his couch and fast asleep, which was exactly where he'd been since they'd returned from their mission. Happy was staying with Lisanna, and she was scratching gently behind the blue Exceed's ear as he slept. And Natsu was snoring lightly inside his own home for once, not a care in the world.<p>

And the nightmare with him in it was what would wake Lucy up.

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><p>"Na–" Lucy began to cry in her restless slumber, only an hour after she had finally fallen asleep, "–tsu! Natsu!"<p>

The blonde's hair was plastered to her face with sweat, and she twisted and turned under her covers. Her eyelids flickered and flinched at the scene unfolding that only she could see. She let out a cry in her sleep, one reminiscent of heartbreak. Her fists clenched her cover tightly, and she tossed her head, another distressed noise escaping her lips.

"N-no!" the outcry was loud and sharp, but it woke no one, not even Lucy. Her movements became more erratic, her breathing frantic. She was as near to hyperventilating as she had ever been and yet she wasn't even aware of it, locked in her nightmare. The blonde became even more entangled in her sheets and cover, and her head tossed more frequently from side to side. "No! N…Nat…su!"

Sweat trickled down her neck, and even her pajamas stuck to her chilled body. The cold perspiration did nothing to help wake the girl. Lucy let out a grunt that sounded like another repetition of the word _no_ and her head turned to the other side again. It was as if she was shaking her head no in her dream. Her teeth then gnashed together and she twisted violently. The action was only the prelude to the blood-curdling, ear-splitting shriek she let out that finally brought her out of the darkness of her own mind.

Lucy shot up, crying, "_Natsu_!" as she did so only to realize that it was a dream. That she was sitting up, drenched in icy sweat and tangled in her blankets. Lucy was in her apartment, not on a job. And they were definitely not being chased by some sort of strange creature. Most importantly, though, said creature had _not_ had a friend who snuck up in front of Natsu and Lucy as they ran. Natsu had _not_ been gored through the heart by said beast when he turned to look at the other and he was most certainly _not_ dead.

The image still haunted her, and she could find no solace in sleep that night.

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><p>It was about nine in the morning when Natsu walked into the guild, looking around for the blonde head of his nakama only to see nothing. He paused and looked around again, then walked over to Erza, as much as he didn't want to.<p>

"Erza," he said, eyes making their way around the guild again, "have you seen Luce?"

"I haven't seen her yet," Erza said, lifting her eyes briefly from her breakfast.

"She's probably still asleep," Gray said, plopping down across from Erza. He was still in pants this morning, but his shirt had been discarded somewhere between his home and Fairy Tail. "That's the longest job we've been on. She was probably tired."

"I'll ask Mira," Natsu said, wandering away from his teammates and over to where Lisanna and Mirajane were talking across the bar. Happy was asleep on the wooden countertop between them, snoring with a little snot bubble protruding from his nose.

"Oh, good morning, Natsu!" Mira said cheerfully as he made his way over to them. "I hope you had a good night's sleep! Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Hey, Mira, Lisanna," Natsu greeted, stifling the yawn as Mira laughed and Lisanna giggled at him. "Luce is normally here by now, so I was wondering if you'd seen her around yet? She was acting a little funny when we got back and I wanted to ask her what was wrong."

Mirajane's face turned troubled.

"Lucy said she just wasn't feeling well," a voice piped up, and Natsu turned as Levy McGarden took the seat on the other side of the white haired Lisanna. "At least, that's what she told me before she went home yesterday. But I don't usually see Lu-chan looking like that. I think she might have been hiding something from me…"

"I feel the same way…" Mira said sadly. Lisanna just sighed, not sure what to say. She hadn't been there to talk to Lucy before she'd left the guild, and Happy had went to find her at her home, so she didn't come back last night.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Natsu said, leaving the bar. "Thanks, guys!"

The three girls watched the salmon haired boy rush off, and Mira sighed.

"What is it, Mira-nee?" Lisanna questioned her sister.

"I hope Natsu can find out what's wrong with Lucy," the older white-haired takeover mage said softly. "There's just…something's not right. I can feel it, and I'm getting worried."

Levy agreed and Lisanna just lowered her head. There was some sort of bad feeling welling in the pit of her stomach that she didn't want to acknowledge. But now she knew the others were feeling it too, and that fact was almost more disconcerting than the seemingly distant way Lucy had been acting since Team Natsu had returned to Fairy Tail yesterday evening. The two seemed connected somehow, and all three women felt an ominous presence looming over them.

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><p>"Luce! Hey, Lucy!"<p>

The blonde girl shuddered violently at the voice of the figure in her window. She couldn't see him, since she was on the floor, back pressed against her bed and her legs drawn tight against her chest. Her forehead rested on her knees, and she shook. It was _Natsu_. How could it not be, barging in through the window like that, just as carefree as ever? But why couldn't she stop trembling? And worst of all, why did that bloody, gaping hole left in Natsu's chest in her nightmare keep plaguing her in her waking moments? The lifeless look in his eyes, the sickening _crunch_ of his sternum being pierced, of his limp body falling to the ground…why wouldn't it go away?

"L-Luce…? What's wrong?"

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and she shrieked, jerking away and causing herself to overbalance. She toppled sideways onto her carpet and a sob racked her frame. The replay of the nightmare once more harassed her, and she clutched her head.

"No!" she cried, nails digging into her scalp. Lucy was on the edge, her single hour of restless sleep not helping her sanity in the least. "No! N-not again…please…stop!"

"Lucy!" Natsu persisted, grabbing the sobbing girl's shoulders and sitting her up. "Look at me, Luce, tell me what's wrong! _Look at me, Lucy_!"

Slowly, with a hiccup to accompany the movement, her head turned up and her watery, blank eyes were directed at him. Natsu's breath caught in his throat at the dead look in her eyes, and without thinking he wrapped his arms around her. She sucked in a breath, stiffening like she had never done at his touch, and his worry deepened. And she was cold to the touch.

"Luce, tell me what's wrong, okay? I'm here. Just tell me what's going on."

All at once, the tension in the girl's muscles relaxed, and Lucy collapsed against his chest, crying. For a moment, Natsu didn't know what to do, but he started by patting her back and saying soothing things. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a try if it meant he wouldn't have to see Lucy like this. He hated to see her cry.

"N-Natsu…" she choked, and her hands clutched his vest. The salmon haired young man opened his mouth to ask what, but she continued without his prompting. "I…it was just a nightmare…I'll b-be fine in a little w-while."

"Bullshit," he said. Perhaps it wasn't the nicest thing to say, but then again, she shouldn't have lied about how she'd be fine soon. "Tell me what happened, Luce. I can't help until I know. What's so bad about one little nightmare that you can't even talk without stuttering? You're better than that. I know you are. C'mon, Luce, tell me."

"Natsu," Lucy couldn't believe she was going to cave into his request. It was just that she never got to see this more genteel side of Natsu, and it was drawing her in. "In my nightmare, Natsu…y-you…you _died_. It's not one of those things where you get some fire and get right back up, like that one time on the job. Th-this time you got s-stabbed. Right through the heart. And then you…you just kind of crumpled to the ground. Your eyes were w-wide open and staring, and there was this great big gaping hole in your ch-chest that just w-wouldn't st-stop bleeding!"

Lucy's voice had grown slightly stronger through the middle, but then when she got toward the end of her confession, she sunk once more into her tears. Natsu, having not expected this turn of events, stared down at the weeping celestial mage, now really uncertain about what to do. At least, when she'd told him of her nightmare and looked right into his eyes, she'd had some of her usual self back. It was better than that blank stare he'd gotten at first.

"Luce…" he finally managed, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Luce, I'm right here, okay? I'm right here and I'm in one piece. You don't have to worry about it anymore, 'kay?"

They stayed like that, and finally the blonde girl fell into a sleep that wasn't plagued by nightmares of her friends - no, her _family_ - dying right before her eyes. Natsu gently picked Lucy up and laid her on her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and laying protectively beside her. Here, he could watch over her and even be able to wake her up if she seemed to be having another nightmare. And right now, he felt this was better than going to tell Mira and the others what was wrong with Lucy.

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><p>"<em>I think, milord," said the disfigured creature to his master, who was hidden in the shadows of his dark throne room, "that this Dragneel boy may be a problem to our plans. If he sticks so near to the girl's side at all times after this, we may have a bit of a dilemma on our hands."<em>

"_Not to worry," the resonating voice echoed throughout the stone room. Long fingers gracefully tapped the silver arm of his gilded throne. "It wouldn't be fun if there wasn't a little bit of difficulty in the culmination of our dreams. I promise you, Hall, we will get the Heartfilia girl in the end. Even if we have to kill her dragonslayer guardian to get to her."_

_This time, it was the master who laughed. It was a cold, cruel laugh that reverberated throughout the room ceaselessly. It was the laugh of a man who delighted in killing, and who would gladly see blood shed to further his cause._

"_Yes," his voice said softly as the last echoes of his mirth faded, "yes, I do believe that getting rid of that foolish boy will be quite enjoyable. Think of the true grief that will mar our dear Lucy's face when we cut out his heart right in front of her!"_

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><p><strong>Okay. That's kind of dark, even for me. Especially for me. But it's a new approach, so I hope you like it. Somewhat. A Fairy's Blood will be second in my priority, after Until She's Home Again. I hope you do like it, though! <strong>**J**

**Please don't hate me for the cliffhanger! And if you like it, please review! ****J**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, the first chapter was received better than I thought it would be! Thanks go especially to litashe, ShiningStellar, and aphrodite931, who were the first three to review and I think might have read all of my fics xD**

**I have good news for you guys! I know why the blood is needed now! (I just don't know how I'm going to lead into it, but have no fear, I'll figure something out!) Again, don't let my lack of planning scare you away. I'm pretty good with updating most of the time, and I can usually pump a decent length chapter out in two hours or so if I have my mind set on getting a new one out.**

**Anyway, this is A Fairy's Blood, chapter two, and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>After Natsu had arrived to comfort her, Lucy had a few hours of sleep that were not plagued by the horrendous nightmares. The comforting warmth of the dragonslayer who lay beside her kept her from thrashing or crying out, bringing her a sense of safety in her subconscious. Lucy's breathing remained calm, relaxed, and even, but Natsu didn't dare get up and leave her for fear that her nightmares would come back with a vengeance. And if it had shocked him that she'd been so distraught about him dying in her dream, he didn't let on, but he did gaze at her with a softened look. The tenderness he could show only to her, although neither of them had realized it.<p>

The salmon haired boy brushed some of his blonde nakama's hair from her eyes, and her face scrunched up a little in her sleep. He held his breath for a moment, then her features once more went lax and he let out his breath. Natsu would have been angry with himself if that one gentle action had been enough to wake his exhausted friend.

He relaxed, laying back with his hands behind his head. His gaze was directed at the ceiling, but every few seconds his eyes darted to the side as if to reassure himself that Lucy was sleeping peacefully next to him. The distraught expression she had worn when he had come to her earlier had been enough to freeze his heart, and he was having trouble getting it back to normal after that shock. Natsu couldn't get the blonde's blank eyes out of his head. It was as though she didn't even see him in that moment, as if she looked right through him or saw him as some other, sinister man. He didn't like the thought that there was something that could make such an important person in his life have an expression like the one she'd worn. It had scared him worse than Erza's tears could.

Natsu wasn't exactly sure why it hurt so much to see her like that, but he knew he never wanted her to be so distressed again. If even one member of the Fairy Tail family was feeling down, it clearly reflected upon all of the others. Because they _were_ like a big family, and even though Lucy may have only been with them for about two years, she'd become such an integral part of life there that when she was so aloof it put everyone on edge.

The dragonslayer sucked in a breath when she shifted beside him, her hand reaching out to clutch his vest. Lucy had scooted nearer to his warmth, tucked against his side now as if he was a giant teddy bear. Once the girl had settled down, still in the realms of slumber, he let out the breath he'd been holding in. If it was Lucy, Natsu could let her do this. She needed the comfort now more than anything, an he wasn't going to deprive her of it when he could give her the solace of holding something - _someone_ - close. Sometimes, the feeling of another person next to you was the best comfort you could be offered.

With care, he removed his left hand from behind his head and gently reached down to hold Lucy's shoulder, which peeked out from the covers. At the touch, the blonde merely snuggled closer to the salmon haired boy, and he sighed softly, relieved that he hadn't woken her. Her skin was slightly chilled from the air outside of the comfort of her blankets, and he rubbed it a little to warm the exposed skin. It wouldn't do to let her get a cold, or something. Especially not in her state. As she was now, Natsu kind of thought she'd just let herself get worse. She had seemed so detached from the world that it had been highly disconcerting, and he promised himself he wouldn't let her stay that way. There had to be something, anything, he could do to get Lucy back to the same cheerfully smiling girl who had brought new life into the guild since he brought her back with him for the first time.

"Lucy," he breathed into the silence of her room as the midday sun sent a shaft of light across her golden hair, "Don't worry. I'll always be here to protect you, so you don't need to be scared for me."

Maybe she couldn't hear him, he reasoned with himself, but it was still a sentiment worth saying.

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><p><em>The scene flitted across the lacrima in front of the hunched man, and in the dim lighting his sneer was thrown into sharp relief. The light glinted from his pointed, yellowing teeth and the stitches on his face seemed to drag at the skin. It looked like it had been painful, but it seemed that the man, Hall, had been this way for long enough that it no longer effected him in adverse ways. As he watched, his expression showed his distaste.<em>

"_This boy must be dealt with," he hissed into the air. Another hunched figure, as blemished and disfigured as he, crept nearer._

"_In good time, Hall," the voice said, in a similar hiss, but this voice was faintly recognizable as feminine. "He will get what's coming to him in due time. All we must do until the time comes is wait, and listen to what we are told. Our plans will all come to fruition with this boy's downfall and our capture of the girl, but we must have patience. We wait."_

"_Yes," the disfigured male said, his nasally voice taking on a tone of distaste. "Yes, we must wait."_

_His cackle broke the silence._

"_Hall…?"_

"_We must wait, but I will enjoy the moment when I see his blood splattered on the floor, on the walls! The fading light in his eyes as we take the girl from him, his recognition of the facts! I anticipate the day we can look upon him as he lies dying, and then quash his dreams of rescuing the Heartfilia girl. He will pass from this life with no hope. It will be such a delightful thing to witness, don't you agree, Brunhilda?"_

_A new cackle, the marred woman's, echoed throughout the small chamber they used to monitor their target and her guard dog. It was high pitched and grating on the ears, and the glee on her grotesque face was twisted and dark. Her features were just as frighteningly horrid to behold as the face of Hall was. She, unlike the male, had straggly hair that looked almost as though it was in the process of rotting away, and was green in some places, black in others, and even various shades of decaying brown. Brunhilda's mirth slowly faded away, leaving the hunched figure grinning in a feral sort of way._

"_I didn't think that far ahead," she admitted lowly, the leer on her features showing off her own filed, pointy teeth, "but yes. That will be positively exciting."_

_Their laughter rang once more, a discordant melody that would drive a sane person over the edge in moments. It was a sound akin to the shrieks of the tormented souls in Hell, a noise that the living would fear above others and flee from. It bounced back from all corners of the room, only making the dreadful cacophony that much worse._

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><p>Mirajane kept glancing concernedly at the doors to the guild, wiping down a glass repeatedly. It was clear to everyone that Mira was worried about something, and the same could be said for the usually cheerful younger girls, Levy and Lisanna. They hadn't left their seats for the last four or five hours, since Natsu had left to check up on Lucy. Happy had flown over to Erza and Gray, and they were all discussing something with serious expressions. It was safe to assume that they were all thinking of the same thing, and trying to figure out reasons for Lucy's recent behavior. It also didn't help their sanity that the girl hadn't arrived yet today, and that Natsu hadn't returned from going to her home.<p>

On a normal day, this occurrence would be cause for lighthearted jeering and teasing, but not in the current circumstances. The sense of something dreadful coming hung thick and heavy over the whole guild, and though no one would admit it out loud its effects were clearly seen around the guild. Gray was actually still wearing his pants, which was rare, and had been since he arrived in the morning. He sat across from Erza still, swirling his water around in his glass as he continued to converse with his companions in a lowered voice. Juvia wasn't even stalking him as closely as usual, though she walked over to sit with he and Erza and Happy. They listened to her when she put in her thoughts on the matter, and Gray flashed her a rather weak smile. Erza was uncharacteristically troubled, as was the case with Mirajane, Levy, and Lisanna. Erza had a deep frown on her features, and Mira just kept doing things behind the already too tidy bar to keep herself occupied. Lisanna and Levy talked in soft voices that didn't carry across the guild. Happy wasn't touching the fish that lay in front of him, or even bothering to offer it to Charle. He occasionally lifted his gaze to add to something Gray, Juvia, or Erza had said, but otherwise kept his eyes down on his paws. Nab had ordered a drink at the bar, completely disregarding the request board. That was an unusual sight in itself. Gajeel sat in a corner with Pantherlily, both looking rather stoic but a bit more withdrawn than usual. The intimidating dragonslayer didn't even touch the iron that lay beside him on the bench, courtesy of Mira's bustling self. Cana was just the opposite of Nab, and hadn't touched her precious alcohol all morning. Her brow was furrowed as she tried to read the future on her cards. No one could fully appreciate how frustrated the card mage was when she could get absolutely nothing about the future to appear in her readings.

Even Evergreen, looking almost imperiously down at the rest of the guild from the second floor, couldn't find the heart to say something. Where she would normally have insulted them for their attitudes, she couldn't bring herself to. Hidden behind her glasses, her eyes had a soft, faraway look in them. Without really noticing when it had begun, she, too had become attached to the cheerful blonde mage. Bixlow felt the same way, but he sat dejectedly in one of the chairs behind Evergreen. His hands were clasped loosely in front of him, and he let out a sigh. His five little companions imitated him, but he swatted at them halfheartedly. For once he didn't need them to repeat things. The last member of their trio leaned against the railing, a frown adorning his features. Fried was clearly deep in thought, trying to puzzle through the mystery surrounding what the entire guild felt, and his eyes followed the ever-busy Mira as she tried to take her thoughts off of the situation at hand by overdoing her job.

Master Makarov observed all of this from above, on the stairs leading to his office, not willing to add to the oppressiveness of the painfully quiet room. He knew he wouldn't be able to be himself, as perverted and easygoing as that side of him was, so he chose solitude. He could wallow in his own worry and misgivings just as well on his own as he could if he were to join those he affectionately called his children. That decided, he slowly retreated once more into the quiet room, hopping to sit on top of his desk rather than in the chair that dwarfed him.

"I hope Lucy feels better soon," said Wendy softly from her seat with Jet, Droy, Elfman, and Charle. But although it was said quietly, most of the guild heard it due to the unusual silence in the room. Elfman reached over and placed a large hand on the girl's shoulder, not saying anything but offering her a weak smile. He didn't even make a manly remark. Wendy forced a smile back at the white haired man, then looked down at her hands with a sigh. Charle placed a paw on the girl's leg, then, and a real, if miniscule, grin graced the young dragonslayer's lips. That was all Charle needed to see.

No one noticed her go rigid and stare off into the distance, lost in things they could not see.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Luce, you're awake," Natsu said cheerfully but really softly so he wouldn't startle her. The innocent, big brown eyes of the girl in question flicked to his, then fluttered closed as she let out a large yawn. She lifted her head from its position on his chest, somehow not even ashamed at her sleeping arrangement. The blonde rubbed her eyes a little tiredly, squinting at the salmon haired boy who was in her bed with her.<p>

"W-what are you doing in my bed, you idiot?" she whined halfheartedly when she noticed. She knew she was probably only able to have a dreamless sleep because he was there at her side, and she was thankful for it. She didn't even need to say it, because her weak shove showed him that she didn't mean the hurtful things she might have said.

"Good morning to you, too," he chuckled lightly, sitting up and stretching. Then he glanced at the clock and said, "Actually, it should be good afternoon. It's four o'clock now. You slept the day away, Luce! You weirdo."

She laughed a little, smiling at him as she herself sat up to stretch. The dampness of her skin was no longer there, but she felt disgusting. The pajamas Lucy wore still kind of stuck to her, even though her sweat had dried, and she plucked at the offending cloth absentmindedly while wrinkling her nose. Her hair was a mess, and definitely could use a wash. Lucy inwardly sighed at her condition, watching Natsu wander around her room as if he owned the place. Such actions were commonplace whenever Natsu was over, aside from the fact that he had yet to raid her fridge or pantry for some food. She averted her gaze when he looked over and smiled at her.

"Why don't you go get your shower, Luce? Then we'll go to the guild together."

Brown eyes widened at his suggestion, and a smile broke out across her face. Trust this lovable idiot to somehow know just what she was thinking with the vain part of herself.

"Thanks," Lucy said, "for everything."

Her words were sincere, and Natsu waved his hand as though to say 'it was nothing' and continued to poke around her room as she went and dug a change of clothes out of her wardrobe. It was an outfit like those she wore every day; a skirt and a tank top that showed off quite a bit of her ample cleavage (not like she meant to buy them that way, just that her boobs were too big for most shirts). She left the salmon haired boy in her room, rummaging through one of her desk drawers, as she locked the bathroom door behind her.

This time, her sense of a looming evil did not distract her, and her bloody nightmares stayed far away from her mind. Lucy stepped into the shower and under the warm spray, just letting it run over her for a while. She let out a small sigh of contentment, before reaching for her shampoos and soaps. The warm water running over her skin as she worked up a foamy lather in her blonde hair was a relaxing feeling after finally getting a few hours of rest. She was still sore from her late vigil, sitting against her bed in a way reminiscent of the fetal position, but they were just aches that would go away with time. The massaging feeling as she washed her body eased the tension in those muscles somewhat, and her shower turned out to be a soothing experience this time around.

Lucy didn't bother with doing anything special about hair or makeup. She just put on her clothes, ran a brush through her hair, tied half of it up in her usual side ponytail, and went out to meet Natsu. He sat, spinning idly in her desk chair and reading what she recognized as her manuscript. At first she was a little irritated, but she let it go. Instead, a flush crept into her cheeks at the fact that he had been reading the story she'd written, and the blush deepened when she realized he was a decent distance into it.

"How many times do I tell you guys to leave my manuscripts alone?" she tried her normal, almost haughty, annoyed tone. Natsu looked up at her, slightly surprised, but grinned nonetheless.

"Luce, you should know that won't work on us. And you shouldn't keep things this cool from your nakama in the first place!"

The blonde flushed at the compliment hidden in that sentence, and instead retorted with, "Well, I promised Levy that she'd be the first to read it, so you can just wait your turn! You can be second, okay?"

"But I wanted to read it all first," he whined, looking back down at his spot. "It's just getting good."

"I didn't know you read," she mused before she could stop herself, then she quickly added, "Just put it down already and let's get to the guild, okay?" Lucy forced an exasperated sigh, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her booted foot. "I'm sure they're missing all the fighting and ruckus that you and Gray cause on a daily basis."

The dragonslayer chuckled and stood, sitting the manuscript back on the desk like she'd asked. Natsu walked over to Lucy and dropped his arm around her shoulder, and in one last moment of true gentleness on his part, he said softly, "You don't have to try so hard, Luce," before reverting to his cheerful self and piping, "Let's get going!"

She smiled to herself. Lucy didn't know what to think of the energetic fire mage sometimes, but his kind nature had been proved to her time and time again. He was a really loyal friend and she knew she was lucky to have met a guy like him.

* * *

><p>"Charle?" Wendy asked, her outcry attracting the attention of everyone in the guild. The white Exceed shuddered once, then fell into a heap on the bench, stirring only slightly. "Charle! What is it? Charle!"<p>

Happy and Pantherlily were some of the first to reach that area as Wendy gently cradled the unconscious cat-like creature in her arms. She smoothed Charle's fur worriedly, acting just as motherly toward the Exceed as Charle acted toward her. Pantherlily took one look at the situation and knew the reason behind her collapse as Happy gently patted Charle's cheek in an attempt to rouse his standoffish crush. Lily's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene, but he kept his observations to himself for the time being.

"What happened?" Mira asked, rushing over. Her tone masked her increasing worry at what would come, but not her surprise at Charle's collapse. That emotion was displayed clearly in her voice, and she gently reached her fingers down to touch the white cat's furry forehead. Charle's eyelids twitched, but Mirajane had seen that reaction on injured people enough to know that it was her eyeball rolling around within its socket. Mira came to a correct conclusion when she realized Charle was lost in the depths of some vision that remained unseen to the rest of them.

The white haired mage frowned a little, another thought crossing her mind. Had the heavy aura of the guild made this vision possible? The foreboding they all seemed to feel - had it weighed down upon the female Exceed so much that it had prompted her to fall into this state? And would whatever sort of premonition Charle was experiencing give them any answers about the ominous feeling welling deep within their hearts?

"I don't know what happened," Wendy said softly, trailing her fingers across the smooth white fur with a soft touch, "I really don't know. But Charle isn't hurt. It's almost like she's asleep, or like she fainted."

"Why don't you go back to the infirmary?" suggested Cana, standing next to Mira. The transformation and takeover mage jumped slightly, completely unaware of the card mage's approach until she had spoken. "All this staring and crowding around can't be good for her. Charle probably needs some space and some air. You'll get some of that back there."

"Y-yeah!" Wendy agreed, nodding her head quickly and making her long, dark blue hair bounce as she gingerly cradled the unconscious Exceed. She then tread carefully across the room, slipping through the door that led to the infirmary and letting the door cut the two of them off from the rest of the guild.

"There's something seriously wrong going on," Cana's voice again startled Mirajane, and the white haired woman turned to look at the brunette. Cana's brows were once more furrowed, eyes showing her fleeting emotions and her confusion. It was obvious she had the same feeling that Mira did, and the former S-class mage laid a hand on the card mage's shoulder. Cana didn't look up at her until after she said, "I know you feel it too, Mira. I don't like it."

"Neither do I, Cana," Mira said. Both women looked once more at the infirmary door, then returned to the bar. This time, Cana took the free seat to Lisanna's right. Levy had disappeared, but she returned moments later, arms full of books as she quickly came down from the second floor's library. The stack of heavy tomes hit the bar in front of her previous spot, to the left of Lisanna, and without a word the small girl pulled the top one down and started to flip through it. Everyone who saw the blue haired girl knew that when she got down to business as seriously as she was now, she was trying to find answers. Perhaps to the feeling that plagued them all, and perhaps to the sudden collapse of one of their smallest members.

Cana laid her cards out again, her tongue sticking out through her lips in concentration, intent on finding some sort of answer to this mess.

* * *

><p>"You're walking pretty slow today, Luce," Natsu observed, walking behind the blonde girl on the ledge beside the river. How she had such balance baffled him, because he found himself swaying to one side or the other and waving his arms to regain his footing.<p>

"Do we always have to be in a hurry?" Lucy quipped back, in a playful tone. He knew that she was still forcing herself, but it was getting a little better. "I like taking my time to get places, thank you very much!"

"Chill," Natsu grinned, holding his arms straight out to the sides to see if it gave him better balance. He found that it did, and his center of gravity remained where he needed it to be. "I was just playin' with ya, Luce."

She sighed, but if he could see her face, Natsu would have seen the grin that had spread across her cheeks. In her normal exasperated tone, she said, "Yeah, yeah."

"You two be careful up there!" came the almost familiar cry that Lucy had been expecting from the moment she started walking on the ledge. "Don't fall in!"

"We won't!" she called, waving at them, "But thanks!"

The two older men chuckled and waved back as Natsu wobbled a little. Lucy saw this over shoulder and turned completely forward so the dragonslayer wouldn't see the amused grin spreading across her cheeks. It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd tried to take her example and walk along the top of the curb, but it was still amusing how the steadfast boy with excellent reflexes could have such a hard time finding his equilibrium. She was mildly surprised that his own swaying wasn't making him feel ill, but she supposed that he was still on solid ground.

"Jeez, Lucy!" came Natsu's familiar voice a few minutes later. "I don't get how you're not about to fall with every single step - wah! Wah! O-okay! - because I can't keep my feet!"

Lucy correctly interpreted his floundering in the middle as Natsu almost falling. She let herself laugh, stepping down from the curb and pulling him down with her.

"Let's just walk down here, before you fall off and drown yourself," she teased, letting go of his wrist and continuing to follow the path she walked to the guild ever day. "I think Erza might just kill me if I let you drown here. And then Gray might think he needs to start picking fights with _me_, since it would be all my fault. Not to mention the fact that I don't think Happy would ever talk to me again."

The thought of Natsu drowning made her heart lurch, but she forcefully subdued the memories of that dreadful nightmare. She didn't do it quick enough to stop all of the images, and one of them leaked through her mental barrier; a pool of blood, glistening on the ground by a pair of feet wearing sandals. Another drip fell into the puddle before the scene was locked away in the blonde's mind, and Lucy forced herself to turn and flash a bright, cheerful smile at the boy walking beside her.

"You can't get rid of me that easy!" Natsu chortled, dropping his arm comfortably around Lucy's shoulder. "And all you'd have to do to beat Gray is tell him that he forgot to wear some clothes. That would at least give Loke or Taurus or someone like that a good chance to punch him across the face, and then you'd be forgotten and he'd go after them."

I smiled at the thought, and agreed, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"_Probably_? Luce, I _know_ what I'm talking about when it comes to fighting with Captain Underpants. Jeez, don't we fight enough for you to realize that by now? Or do I need to get in fights with him more often? I've got no objections." Natsu was trying to lift her spirits, acting a lot more cheerful and carefree than he truly felt inside. And it was working, just a little. He was glad for that, because the sight of Lucy when he'd first gotten to her apartment that morning still haunted him, and he wanted to do all that he could to keep it from happening again.

"No, no!" she elbowed him in the ribs, in a friendly way. "You two fight enough as it is! Do you know how much money must be spent on repairs?"

"Who cares," Natsu shrugged. The childish, toothy grin stretched across his face. "I mean, it's all in good fun! It's not like we mean to kill anyone or something stupid like that. You know we're not like that."

"I know, I know," Lucy rolled her eyes at the dragonslayer. "You still cause enough damage for every person in the guild on your own. You don't even have to be fighting Gray, or anyone, and you can destroy half the guild. If I joined in one of those fights, there'd be nothing left of me at the end, and it would be all your fault!"

"Levy seemed to like them," Natsu shrugged, "so I don't think you'd be crushed. You're as strong as she is."

The blonde blinked, flushed, and said offhandedly, "Well, thanks, but I don't think so. You've noticed that I hardly do _anything_ on our jobs, haven't you? Sometimes I wonder why you guys don't just leave me behind when you go off on a job and take Juvia or someone else with you. You could take anyone and they'd be more useful than I am!"

"Not true!" Natsu squeezed her shoulders in a one-armed hug. "You pull through when it matters, Luce, and that's all that counts."

"Thanks, I guess," Lucy grudgingly said, but inside she was warmed up considerably. Her nakama didn't think she was worthless, after all, and that made her feel so much better about her abilities as a mage. It let her believe, a little more than she could before, that she actually belonged in Fairy Tail, even if she didn't jump into their bar fights or brawls. Unless Loke occasionally coming out on his own strength to join in was counted as Lucy participating.

"Look!" Natsu's voice came then, and Lucy emerged from her thoughts to follow his pointing finger. "We're here! Let's go in!"

A true smile broke across the blonde celestial mage's features, and she said, "Yeah."

* * *

><p>"<em>That's right, Lucy," came the voice of the evil mastermind. There was a definite hint of underlying glee in his tone. "Act as though nothing is wrong, and keep acting that way. In the next few weeks, your whole world will turn upside down. You will be ours, to do with as we will. Our plans will come full-circle! The pinnacle of our efforts over the last decade, of all the searching to find the one compatible mage. And you are that one, I'm certain of it! Soon, you will be in our grasp, and your hands will be stained red with the blood of our enemies."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 2 isn't quite the length I desired, but it's still a good 1500 words more than Ch. 1, so I guess it will work. I still intend on making chapters longer from here on, though. <strong>

**And I admit, Ari-chan, that I liked the idea of Charle having a vision and that the inspiration was probably your Ophiuchus (great story!). I already have part of the events in that vision implanted in my brain, and it might just be in the next chapter. I'm kind of excited to get to it.**

**On another note, I think I like ending chapters with little blurbs about what our bad guys are doing, saying, or thinking. I think it adds a little bit of suspense and maybe even a sense of confusion. What do you guys think? Reviews are appreciated, but not required…yet. Hehe.**

**Well, this is Panda-chan, out! xP**


	3. Chapter 3

**UWAAAAAH! You guys are so awesome. I never thought so many people would like this story so much! It started off as my on-the-side, but now I desperately love to write it and kind of want it as my main. Hehe. I'll stick with Until She's Home Again as my main story for now, though, because it's going to be so much longer than I think this one will be. **

**I'd like to thank every single person who's reviewed. You guys know who you are.**

**I'll stop screwing around, though, and get on to A Fairy's Blood, chapter three. That's what you guys want, right? XD**

* * *

><p><em>The guild faded away from the white Exceed's wide open eyes, leaving only a dark room. She could see no details in the single shaft of light, aside from a figure huddled against the wall and chained there by the shackles on their wrists. It was possible to recognize, just barely, that the figure was a girl, and that she was dressed in a knee-length dress of a dark color. It was either a deep royal purple or black. A voice that resonated throughout the small room was addressing the figure, sounding lecturing or even imperious. Charle could not discern the words. A light flickered, and she strained to see the face of the imprisoned person, but the light died too quickly. The Exceed would have cursed her ill luck had she been in her own mind and body at that moment.<em>

_Her vision faded then, and she thought she was returning to the Fairy Tail guild. _

_Charle was mistaken._

_It was the same room all over again, but the voice was gone. All that remained from her first ethereal visit to this chamber was the slumped figure against the wall. New to the room was the person who ran across the room frantically, stopping in front of the chained person and starting to speak to them in a low tone. Once more, the foreseer could not make out the words that were spoken no matter how she tried to. She could, however, see the dark silhouette looming up behind the new person. Charle wanted to call a warning, but could not. Her viewpoint changed, and she was just above the right shoulder of the imprisoned one. She realized at this point that the dress the woman wore was deep purple, as a shaft of light fell across it. The vision turned the white Exceed's gaze back to the one who was most likely aiming to rescue the person in shackles. _

_Her eyes found his chest just as a blade forced through it from behind with a sickening crunch. Blood splattered across the wall below her, and onto the pale cheek of the figure there. Some of the warm fluid fell onto the purple of the dress the woman wore, and in the dim lighting soaked in so it could not even be seen. The same red liquid dripped from the knife's blade as the stabbed one let out a choked word, most likely the other person's name, and the metal was removed from his body. He slumped to the ground, the gory substance pooling around his form._

_The person chained to the wall began to scream in a despairing tone, shouting out what sounded like the same thing over and over again. It was the fallen one's name, the Exceed knew instantly, instinctively. By the sound of the voice, it was easily reaffirmed that the captive was a woman, but once more what was being said eluded Charle. All she could see now were the puddle of blood growing wider and wider, glistening in the ray of moonlight that shined through the barred window, and the dagger that had taken the young man's life. Blood gleamed down its length, and the one holding it held it up to eye level. One side of his face was thrown into the light, and it showed an ice blue eye, with catlike pupils, and the devilish quirk of his lips upward in a smile of delirious delight. Silvery hair fell across his face, but it was disregarded._

_The last thing Charle knew was the sight of the man leaning forward and licking the bloody blade, and a reverberating, dark sort of laugh._

* * *

><p>"Hey, everyone!" Natsu cried, throwing open the doors to the guild just as exuberantly as was to be expected of him. "We're back!"<p>

The attention of all the guild members turned at this last part of his greeting, and it was plain to see that some of them were surprised to see Lucy back so soon. She smiled, and it didn't seem too forced, as she waggled her fingers at them all in greeting. Levy was almost in tears as she ran up, babbling nonsense that only the blonde girl she directed the words at seemed to understand. The celestial mage started cooing soothing words into the blue haired girl's ears, trying to calm her down and convince her that she was just fine. Lisanna looked up, relieved to see the cheerful blonde back in the guild, even if she wasn't as lively as usual. Mirajane let out a soft smile and sat down the glass she'd been worriedly cleaning for a while.

"Welcome back, you two," she said, lifting a delicate, pale hand and waving to Natsu and Lucy. Lucy looked up briefly from talking with Levy and smiled at the white haired mage, and Natsu grinned. Mira, however, wasn't the only one to notice that both of their expressions lacked the usual luster that they often held. There was something wrong, but perhaps it wasn't quite as sinister as they had all thought.

The dark, foreboding aura lifted slightly at the sight of the two friends, Lucy and Levy, talking quietly, Lucy wiping a tear from the blue haired girl's cheek, and Levy giggling at something that her blonde nakama had said. Levy then took the celestial mage by the wrist and started to pull her toward the bar where Mira, Cana, and Lisanna were. Levy's books were still piled on the bar where she had been studying relentlessly for the last few hours, but she completely disregarded them as she ushered Lucy to sit by Cana and then sat on Lucy's other side. Lisanna leaned around Cana to smile at the blonde, and the card mage let a smirk show, though still disconcerted by the lack of a reading that made sense. The books were on Lisanna's other side, but no one paid them any heed.

Master Makarov looked down upon the scene from the top of the stairs once more, frowning slightly. He was happy to see the two particular 'children' of his back, but he still sensed that something was amiss. There was something coming, whether Lucy was happy or not. And he had a vague idea that the blonde was just hiding whatever uneasiness she felt for the sake of the family. If one of them was sad or down, so, too, were the others, and during her duration as a member so far she had picked up on this fact well. And with the caring nature the girl possessed, he knew that she would do her best to make sure all of the others were happy before worrying about her own feelings on the matter. Lucy Heartfilia was nothing like those who could cruelly look down upon and laugh at the sadness of a friend or guild member. Even if the other person was an enemy, the celestial mage would undoubtedly do her best to cheer them up, because that was who she was.

Sighing, the master of Fairy Tail once more retreated into his office to think, the weight in his heart a disconcerting lump.

Meanwhile, in the bar, Mirajane was asking Lucy what had kept her, or if she was sick.

"You look a little pale," Mira added onto her query, "are you sure you don't need some rest?"

"I'm fine, Mira," Lucy smiled at her, "just a little tired. I didn't sleep very well, that's all."

"Are you sure you don't need something, Lu-chan?" Levy asked, reaching up and feeling her bookworm friend's forehead just in case. "Maybe some medicine in case you're coming down with something?"

"Maybe what you need is a good old fashioned shopping trip to cheer you up," Cana said, reclining against the counter, still surprisingly sober. "On me. Let's go get some new clothes and shoes, and even a few books. Levy and Lisanna can come along, too. And you, Mira, if someone else will work for you. Girl's day out on the town, whaddaya say?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Lucy said, looking down at her hands. "I don't have any money right now, and if I did I'd use it to pay next month's rent–"

"Didn't you hear me, squirt?" Cana put her arm on top of Lucy's head, smirking at the girl. "I said it was _on me_. That means that _you_ don't have to pay a cent. Get it now?"

"I'm not that much shorter–or younger!–than you are!" the blonde protested, waving her arms until Cana let her own drop from atop her head. "I'm not a squirt."

She pouted a little, and Cana, Mirajane, Levy, and Lisanna all laughed at her. Cana's was loud, raucous, but infectious, whereas Mira's was a soft, tinkling giggle. Lisanna's was a chuckle that she tried to hide behind her hand, and Levy's laugh chimed like a bell, high and clear. The blonde couldn't help but sigh and grin at them, even if it was a smaller smile than would normally have graced her gentle features.

Life in the guild seemed to have returned to normal.

* * *

><p>"<em>She acts as though nothing's wrong," the high cackle of Brunhilda rang out. "Just like you wanted her to, milord!"<em>

"_Yes," the voice of the crone's evil master said, a sinister sound in the darkness. No light from their surveillance lacrima fell on his features, only on the black shoes and slacks that he was dressed in. "Yes, the girl acts just as I expected of her. She will pretend that nothing's wrong to abate the worries that those worthless friends of her feel, but she still senses that we watch her. This will all turn out according to our plans."_

_The shoes spun around, doing an about-face, as the man wearing them turned on his heel to leave._

"_Brunhilda, Hall, Undin," he said three names, and two other hunched figures were made out in the darkness behind the disfigured woman._

"_Yes, milord?" Their three voices, one female and two male, asked in unison._

"_Keep an eye on her. Tell me if our dear Lucy Heartfilia decides to get brave and let her friends know what's on her mind."_

"_I doubt she will, milord," said a new voice, low and gruff, as one of the figures in darkness shuffled into the dim light cast by the lacrima there. Tufts of graying hair shot out from numerous orifices on his horribly grotesque head, and it was quite factious to say that this man was even more disfigured than either of the other servants of the evil man. His eyes were little more than slits, and were oddly reversed. The 'white' of his eye was completely black, whereas the pupil and iris were white. Undoubtedly, these eyes had been the reason that this man had been tortured beyond all recognition or treatment. The strange fold that one may have thought to be a random flap of loose skin suddenly widened, and it was discernable as a mouth when the man, Undin, said, "But we shall watch her nonetheless."_

"_Good."_

_The door fell closed with an ominous sounding thud as the tall mastermind left the room. Hall started cackling in his own creepy way, and Brunhilda's soon joined. Undin's laugh, when heard, would chill any who listened. Together, the discordance of their mirth would send a person screaming as they ran, fright overcoming all rational thought. And the laughter continued._

* * *

><p>Lucy managed to assuage some of the worry that her nakama had felt throughout the entire day, and got a new pair of boots, a cute pair of earrings, two new books, and a lingerie nightgown when shopping with Cana, Levy, Lisanna, and Mirajane (Elfman had agreed to run the bar). The boots were Mira's choice, the earrings picked by the younger white haired girl, the books obviously chosen with the help of Levy, and the lingerie was all Cana. Lucy owned her fair share of sexy undergarments, but even she wouldn't have picked the red, see-through number with black lace trim. Cana refused to put it back, and insisted that it was her gift to the blonde.<p>

After their shopping trip, they hadn't let Lucy drop her things off at home. Instead, she had to sit at the bar in Fairy Tail and be mortified over almost everyone coming and looking through her two bags. And the first thing most of her nakama found was the little number that the card mage had chosen for her. Nab, Elfman, Wendy, and even Gray had the decency to blush at it, with Elman crying, "It's manly to be embarrassed about seeing this sort of thing!"

Gray had promptly hit the 'manly' man upside the head and shouted, "Who's blushing, idiot?"

No one had the heart to correct the ice mage and tell him Elfman had said 'embarrassed' and never mentioned blushing. Maybe that was because everyone had already gotten over the nightgown and began another all-out guild fight, but whatever reason that they'd stopped ogling at the celestial mage for owning that sort of thing, Lucy was thankful for. Her cheeks were redder than Erza's hair.

That had been an hour ago now, and Lucy had decided it was time to go home. Just like she'd expected, though, she had a tag along following her. Or, rather, leading the way.

"Luce!" Natsu said, walking backwards in front of her and causing innocent passersby to have to dodge or risk being bowled over by the oblivious salmon haired mage. "What's for dinner?"

The girl sighed, holding her arms out to maintain her balance as she walked her usual path home.

"I don't know. Whatever you can get at _your_ house."

"I don't have any food at home," Natsu said blankly, looking at Lucy with an expression that clearly said she should have known that. "Why do you think I always eat at the guild? Or at your place? There's nothing to eat at my house unless I go fishing."

"Then go fishing," Lucy told him, rolling her eyes to the sky and staring at the stars that twinkled there.

"No!" Natsu poked his tongue out childishly before continuing. "I don't wanna! D'you know how often I eat fish when it's just me and Happy? Jeez, Luce, if you ate it that often you'd get a little tired of it, too. Besides, I like what you cook. Or even just what you have in your fridge. Or cabinets. So, like I said before, what's for dinner?"

Lucy heaved another, larger sigh before saying, "Let's just drop my stuff off and then go out to get something to eat, okay? I'm too tired to cook tonight."

"Sure!" Natsu said, grinning his toothy grin. The blonde turned her gaze on her feet, watching as she placed one in front of the other. That uneasy feeling she had had for the entire day, and for a while before, lumped in the pit of her stomach. It weighed more heavily than it had at the guild, only increasing her wariness. Natsu had turned around and was leading the way, so he didn't realize that the celestial mage had paused to stare down at the running water until almost a minute had passed. He turned and looked back to find her quite a bit behind, just standing there.

"Oi! Luce!" he called, and he watched her head lift and turn in his direction. "Hurry up or I'll leave you behind!"

"Coming!" she said, and he watched as Lucy shook her head, blonde hair swaying a bit around her face, as she stepped away from the edge and ran to catch up, the heels of her boots clicking on the stone sidewalk. The salmon haired boy let himself smile softly at the small frown on her features, and knew that she was a little peeved at herself for getting sidetracked. His smile held also a hint of sadness, because he knew she still felt something was wrong and he knew that she was hiding it. She looked up at him and he quickly dispelled the smile and replaced it with his childish one before she could see. Lucy then said, "Sorry about that. I was lost in thought."

"It's fine," he said, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her along, toward her apartment. "Let's just stay on task this time! I'm _hungry_!"

"You're always hungry," the blonde behind Natsu groused, but he grinned for real at this. That was a bit of the normal Lucy. The same girl he'd brought to Fairy Tail about three years ago, and who had become his most irreplaceable nakama. Next to Happy, that is.

"Yeah," the dragonslayer agreed easily, "but you've gotta eat sometimes. Everyone does. So why not eat as often as you can? You never know when it'll be your last meal. I wouldn't wanna die on an empty stomach or anything, y'know? That would be a _bitch_. Ugh. Now I'm even hungrier. Can we hurry up some, Luce?"

The salmon haired boy put a whiny lilt in his voice, pausing and looking at the blonde girl with a pouting expression. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head and rushed ahead so that he wouldn't see the blush across her cheeks.

He did see it, and his own eyes widened as he stared after her. His own cheeks warmed up and he realized that she had _blushed_ at _him_, and he was flushed, too!

"C'mon!" she called from a ways down the street, not even stopping to turn around as she did so. "You're the one who was in such a big hurry! What'd you slow down for, Natsu?"

Natsu shook his head violently, sprinting for a second to catch up to the blonde and take her hand in his own again, this time with his cheeks heating up, as he continued down the street. He heard Lucy break into a stumbling run after he'd started pulling her, before her footsteps evened out and she fell in step behind him. He didn't look back to see that the blush was back on her cheeks.

Lucy pretended that it didn't hurt to be touched by the guy she liked this way, even when she didn't think he felt the same. And after a few seconds, it really didn't shoot pangs into her heart because his hand was a warm thing in hers, feeling as though it _belonged _there. Natsu's calluses rubbed against her softer skin, though not uncomfortably so. It was just the opposite, in fact. She liked the way his hand felt in hers, and hers in his, because she'd been dreaming about something like this for several months now, if not the past year. So she let the contact slide, not protesting the touch and fooling herself into believing, for the briefest of moments, that he felt the exact same way about her as she did for him.

And in such a manner, they reached her apartment in record time, Natsu taking her bags from her, leaping up to her window and disappearing for a moment, before reappearing and leaping effortlessly down, landing almost catlike at Lucy's side. She jumped back, freaked out for a second, before regaining her composure.

"You idiot, you could've broken something!"

"Nah," he shook his head, "I'm not that dumb. Now where are we going to go to eat? I'm starving!"

"I thought you were just hungry," Lucy deadpanned, but turned and started walking down the street again. "Now you're starving?"

"Well, yeah. When you're hungry for so long, you only get hungrier and hungrier when you don't eat until finally you're dying of hunger. We call that _starving_, Luce."

She turned a halfhearted glare on the salmon haired boy but said nothing, leading the way down a new street. Natsu let the silence linger, though he stayed walking side by side with the celestial mage just in case his presence could comfort her a little. Her unease was beginning to show just a little through her unconcerned façade. But she was Lucy, and he'd always been a little more attuned to her feelings than he had with anyone else. Except for, obviously, Happy the Exceed.

"Here," Lucy finally said, stopping. Natsu looked up, the delicious smells already assaulting his nose, as he found himself right in front of his favorite restaurant. Maybe it was his favorite because it was one of only three in Magnolia that he _hadn't_ been kicked out of yet, but it was definitely his favorite out of those three.

"Really?" Natsu asked, bright eyed and grinning.

The grin's radiance disarmed the girl for a split second, but she was back to normal in a heartbeat. "Yeah. You like this one, right?"

"Yes!" the dragonslayer chimed in happily. "Let's go in!"

Yet again, the salmon haired boy grabbed his favorite blonde's hand and pulled her along with him, into the store, where he quickly found a table and sat. Lucy's hand was still in his until the second after he'd sat in his seat, so she just took the seat beside him at the table for four rather than going around or sitting across from him.

"I'm gonna be broke after this," she mumbled to herself as a waitress came over and Natsu ordered practically everything. "I only have two thousand jewels left, anyway."

Natsu was too busy ordering to pay attention to her mutterings, and didn't hear her dilemma. But he had another plan in mind that Lucy didn't know about.

After their meal, which was delicious and very filling, Natsu stopped Lucy from pulling out her coin purse. She looked at him inquisitively, saying something about how she needed to pay or they'd be in trouble, when he just laughed. The blonde would have gotten angry if it weren't for her companion slapping a tip on the table and handing the waitress a wad of money before grabbing Lucy's hand, again, and pulling her up with him.

"Thanks!" he said to the waitress, grinning. "Keep the change!"

Lucy ended up being pulled along behind the fire mage _again_, but couldn't care less. She was still utterly flabbergasted that he'd actually paid. And just _how_ did he manage to have _any_ money at _all_ when he was the one always destroying things when they went on jobs?

"What?" the blonde finally managed when Natsu slowed down and released her, opting to walk casually beside her rather than drag her along like a rag doll. "What just happened? I mean…no, really. What. Just. Happened…?"

"Huh?" Natsu looked at her strangely. "You're being a weirdo again, Luce."

"You just paid!" she pointed an accusing finger at him, momentarily forgetting her unease, just as she had throughout their rather uneventful but nice meal. "You paid for our food! You're a freeloader, though, and you always trash things, so how'd you get money? When? And why did you pay when it was obvious I was going to? And–_hey_! If you have money, why am I always paying for you?"

The dragonslayer blinked, looking at her as though she were some kind of three headed alien, before bursting into laughter.

"If I paid more often, I wouldn't have an excuse to make you do jobs with me, because you wouldn't have to get another job to pay your rent!" he piped up, smiling a sincere smile that had Lucy's knees wobbling. "So if letting you pay means we get to do more jobs so you can still keep your apartment, isn't it all worth it?"

It was Lucy's turn to blink in astonishment. Then turn red so quickly that she was glad it was getting dark and it would be hard to see.

"W-w-what?" she asked, inarticulately. The stutter made Natsu grin in the darkness, a fact that Lucy couldn't make out without more light. To her misfortune, however, that the streetlight was at _his_ back, and he could make out the color in her cheeks. He, too, felt his face heat up. And it was becoming impossible for him to ignore the fact that he _just might_ like her, like her.

"I let you pay so you go broke," Natsu said, as if explaining to a child–much like the tone the celestial mage sometimes used on him, in fact–while he still grinned to himself at the flush on her cheeks that made her _that much_ more beautiful. Though he tried not to think about that. "And then you come whining about needing more money to pay your rent, and voila! The perfect excuse to get you to go on a job with me. Pretty good idea, huh?"

"Sure," the blonde turned her back on him and continued walking home, desperate to hide her burning face from Salamander of Fairy Tail. "It was a good idea for you, until you told me. Now I can just refuse to pay, and maybe I'll have enough for my rent sometimes!"

"Aw, Luce!" came the whining tone he sometimes adopted, and the very same one he'd used when giving her that puppy dog eyed look earlier. "C'mon, Luce, don't be so mean! Is it bad that I like to accept requests with my best friend?"

"_Best_ friend…?" Lucy stopped and turned to look at him quizzically, this time standing under a streetlight. She could see his face as he stepped up beside her, and he grinned at her again.

"Of course! What else could you be, Luce? We spend so much time together, right? Don't tell me you didn't realize that!" he chuckled a little, and then at her lack of reply he started to speak again. "You really _didn't_ realize it, did you? You're such a weirdo! I thought it was obvious!"

"D-don't be such an idiot, Natsu!" the blonde protested, crossing her arms and pouting at him, an embarrassed flush dusting her cheeks. "How am I supposed to know something like that if you don't tell me?"

"Jeez," Natsu said, rolling his eyes. "You're oblivious, y'know that?"

"_Me_?" Lucy asked incredulously, though not angrily. "_I'm_ the oblivious one?"

"Sometimes," the dragonslayer shrugged this time before continuing, "but the rest of the time, you're really smart. You know things I never even would have thought of, and you use big words that half the time I have to ask someone else what it means. Like when you used the word incandescent the other day. I asked Mira, and she showed me in a thing she called a dictionary. I like that word, though. Makes me think of fire."

The celestial mage started laughing at his honesty, and his reason for liking the word, trying to stifle some of the sound by covering her mouth with a hand. It wasn't really working, but Natsu didn't mind that she was laughing at him. At least it wasn't forced, like it had been a couple times throughout the day. But just so she didn't get suspicious, he put on a pouting expression and complained a little.

"Hey, don't laugh at me! Weirdo."

"Stop calling me a weirdo!" she said, pausing her laughter for a brief moment before letting out another small fit of chuckles. She looked up and then laughed again before turning to Natsu and asking him, "Did you realize we've been outside my apartment this whole time?"

The smile playing on the corner of her lips, a remnant of her laugh, momentarily captivated him. He coughed and looked up at the building beside them, before grinning.

"Nope, I didn't. Now that I do, though, let's go!"

Lucy let out a soft little shriek, praying that she hadn't woken her neighbors, when the salmon haired boy scooped her up and leapt in a fluid motion, landing in her window with the ease that almost three years of practice had established. The dragonslayer dropped her on the bed situated there and started laughing as she flopped onto the mattress, then entangled herself in the covers as she tried to get up.

"It's not funny!" she wailed, pouting.

"Fine," he sighed, the childlike, toothy grin once more hitched in place as he reached down to help her disentangle herself. She got up and stalked over to the bathroom after snatching up a pair of pajamas laying on her pillow.

"I'm going to take a shower," she announced, glaring at him, though not very seriously. "You'd better be gone when I get out."

He didn't answer, but she hadn't expected him to. What Lucy did expect, however, was that he'd still be there when she got out of the shower.

Another thing Lucy hadn't been expecting was the sudden return of her sense of foreboding, right as she stepped into her shower. She nearly fell down at the sudden feeling that gripped her heart, and it took her several long minutes to think clearly and calm her racing heart in order to finish her shower as quickly as she could and step out. A glance in the mirror as she dried off showed that her face was pale once more, and she grimaced at the reflection. It made the same face back.

Sighing, the blonde got changed and threw her still damp hair up in a messy ponytail, not even bothering to brush it just yet. Her hands were shaking, and she decided to make good on her promise to her mother.

Lucy pushed the bathroom door open, looking around for the salmon haired boy she expected to see somewhere. She found him sprawled out on her bed, the lamp next to him turned on and her manuscript lying open on his stomach. Apparently, he couldn't help himself and wanted to keep reading even though she'd told him Levy was supposed to be the first one.

The blonde took a few steps, testing to see if it would wake him, and when she realized it wouldn't she finished her journey to her desk, sat down, and began to write a letter.

* * *

><p><em>Mom,<em>

_I'm really scared. That bad feeling I told you about hasn't gone away. And I know it hasn't been very long since I wrote and told you, but it's not as simple as a stomachache or something. It's a lot worse, and it's just getting even more so. I wish you were with me now to tell me what to do, because I have no idea. Having Natsu with me is a little bit comforting, and I feel safer, but I'm just worried that something bad is going to happen soon._

_Mama, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to Natsu because of me. I like him too much for that._

_What should I do? Is there any way that someone can give me a sign? It's so hard to sit here without knowing what this feeling is, and what's going to happen! My friends are in trouble, I just know it! And if they're in trouble it means that I am, too, because I'm weaker than all of them. I wish I could tell them what I feel, but I want them to be happy and if this feeling amounts to nothing I don't want them all worried for that, y'know?_

_Well, I'm going to go to bed now. And save my manuscript from the sleeping dragon who crashed on my bed again._

_I miss you, Mom._

_Your daughter,_

_Lucy._

* * *

><p>Lucy got up and put her things away, folding and sealing the letter while stashing it with everything else. She then went over and gently lifted the manuscript from Natsu's grasp. His fingers twitched, realizing that something had gone missing from them, but he didn't stir other than that, and she safely tucked the unfinished novel in the drawer of her desk. With a sigh, staring at the boy in her bed, she gave in and crawled under the covers beside where he was sprawled on top of them. The blonde reached over and clicked off the light, turning on her side and inadvertently facing the fire mage laying there. She slowly drifted off to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Things are progressing just as we had thought, milord," Hall reported to the tall man, sitting once more upon a throne in a darkened chamber. "The boy, however, remains close to the Heartfilia girl's side."<em>

"_As expected of him," the voice said. "Go, Hall, and watch more. Come back to me when something worth mentioning happens."_

"_Yes, milord," the stooped man arched his humped back even more in a bow before scurrying away. After a few turns in absolute darkness, dim light played on the floor underneath a door, and the servant entered. The surveillance lacrima let the image flicker slightly, but showed clearly the girl and her guardian. She was just climbing into her bed._

"_What does milord have to say?" Brunhilda asked. Undin was elsewhere in the lair, doing whatever it was that their evil master had ordered him to. _

"_We watch," Hall said, "simply that we must keep watching. We are only to inform him when something worth telling him about happens. Aside from that, we just keep an eye on the girl."_

"_How boring," the crone drawled, and their attention returned to the lacrima._

_The lighting was scarce, but they could see that the girl had just fallen asleep. The salmon haired boy beside her opened an eye and slowly rolled over to his side, facing her. He remained atop the blankets, but dropped an arm across the blonde's waist gently. The two disfigured creatures watched as she stirred only slightly before snuggling closer to the warmth that this strange boy seemed to offer._

_A sneer formed on the manservant's marred face._

"_That one will be fun to dispose of. If only the master would let me do the deed…but no, I'm sure he'll want that satisfaction for himself…"_

"_We'll get to kill all we want, once the plan is completed," said Brunhilda. "Once the girl turns twenty, in just a few days, we can act. And after her blood is used for our purpose, we will be free to show ourselves in the world once more. Not as the outcasts, the monsters they once saw us as, but as part of the entourage that will have begun to reign supreme!"_

"_You speak the truth," Hall acknowledged, the sneer becoming a wicked smirk. "And I cannot wait for that day to come."_

* * *

><p><strong>Here's the next chapter! I'll probably try to keep this about the length for the chapters. It's roughly 6000 words long. So I'll try for anywhere between 5000 and 6000 words for each chapter (though that's pretty big to me xD).<strong>

**And does anyone else find it absolutely hilarious that in word, one of the suggestions for correcting Lisanna's name is "Lasagna"? Hehe.**

**What are your thoughts on this now? Are you worried? Excited? Your thoughts are welcome! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my pretties! *cackle***

**Okay, I jest. But hello again, my lovely readers! I hope you liked the last chapter. And I hope I have you utterly confused and hating me for the suspense, because really? That's actually what I was going for. Though I don't usually like my readers to hate me. I can stand it this time, though, because you're supposed to. Just a little.**

**On a random note, thankfully the new Fairy Tail chapter came out, because I already decided that two weeks is WAY too long to have to wait. So if it had been THREE weeks, I might have gone crazier than I did. With just two weeks Fairy Tail deprivation, I had slower bouts of inspiration for this and Until She's Home Again, and I had my first ever zombie apocalypse dream. But I wasn't me; I was Lucy. And Natsu was MIA. And I was hiding in my house with Erza and Gray.**

**Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with me. Haha.**

**But anyway, you're here for **_**A Fairy's Blood**_**, not my random dream talk. So, here is chapter four!**

* * *

><p>Lucy slept through the night without waking, several hours of a blissfully dreamless sleep. Unbeknownst to her, the safe feeling that calmed her subconscious mind was the direct result of the warm arms that encircled her waist, drawing her nearer to the person laying beside her in the bed. And when she opened her chocolate colored orbs to come face to face with an adorable, sleeping Natsu, she didn't mind in the least that they were so close. She let herself feel loved in that instant, closing her eyes and forcing her breathing to remain even so it wouldn't wake the sensitive male beside her. The blonde basked in his warmth, wondering what dream might have possessed him to hold her but reveling in the comfort it offered to her.<p>

In his embrace, she forgot her unease.

The silence that pervaded her room, a quiet that was warm and enveloped her in a cozy, safe bubble, was broken by a low groan, and she opened her eyes slowly. The salmon haired young man's arm lifted and he stretched a little, yawning widely and showing his fangs. His eyes blinked open, and it seemed to take him a few moments to focus on Lucy and to realize that she was awake.

"Oh. G'mornin', Luce. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

His brow furrowed slightly at the thought that he'd been the one to wake her up, and she smiled back at him, kind of embarrassed that she'd been staring at him while he woke up. But she had to admit he was adorable, even as a grown man, in a way that only Natsu could pull off. She drew herself to her senses then, and sat up whilst shaking her head 'no'.

"You didn't wake me up," she reinforced her shake of the head. "I was just resting."

"Good," he seemed genuinely relieved as he, too, sat up and stretched, almost catlike in appearance. He yawned again, his eyes squeezing tightly shut as he did so. The celestial mage fought back a giggle as she stood and walked to her wardrobe to find a change of clothes for the day. She didn't notice that the fire mage kept his eyes on her, narrowed in concern. The still felt something amiss, even if she seemed normal today. Or as normal as the weirdo that was his Lucy could be.

"Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly, looking over her shoulder at the dragonslayer as she reached the door to her bathroom. "I can fix something after I change, if you want. Or just go look in the kitchen. It's not like you don't usually help yourself anyway, y'know."

Natsu didn't answer, even as the door clicked closed behind her. He stayed perched on her bed, keeping his ears perked for anything out of the ordinary. Maybe his precious nakama was feeling just a little better, but he had no way of knowing how long her heart would be at ease, and he himself could find no inner peace. Something was going to go wrong, dreadfully wrong, and the salmon haired man desperately wanted to know what it might be before it happened so that he could find the means to prevent it.

"Lucy," he muttered under his breath, a hand curling into a fist atop his knee. He didn't finish his original statement for the door opened just then. He couldn't continue on to say, _I'm worried_, but it was something he knew. He didn't need to say it out loud in order to make himself believe that he was more worried than he could remember being. And it frustrated the hotheaded young man, not knowing what was going to happen, or why he felt so torn up about it.

"Natsu…?"

_Shit_, he thought as he shook his head and looked up at the blonde, who was gazing at him with a concerned expression. Her tender features sent a chill up his spine, because he just _knew_, somewhere deep inside, that the bad feeling had something to do with her. Natsu couldn't bear the thought that something might happen to Lucy, not when she meant so much to him.

"Yeah, Luce?" he finally said, swinging his legs off her bed to slide them into his sandals before standing up. He adjusted his scarf, which was uncomfortably tight, probably from the way he'd slept, and ran a hand through his untidy hair.

"Are you all right?" the sweet blonde asked him, stepping closer while simultaneously dropping her dirty pajamas into a laundry basket. She was wearing another one of her numerous tank tops that left so much of her soft, pale skin showing, and a skirt that did the same. Sometimes the dragonslayer wanted to tell her to wear more clothes, but that would make her seem kind of like Gray. He just didn't want her to show that much skin, when there were men out there who were slimy, good-for-nothing bastards and would try to get her for her body.

He told himself it was just a friendly protectiveness, but Happy had told him differently and he was starting to believe the Exceed.

"I'm fine," he flashed a grin at her, doing his best to just act like _Natsu_, and not some overly emotional, senseless ninny like he had been. "Just thinking a little, is there something wrong with that?"

Lucy stared at Natsu, nonplussed for a moment.

"You and thinking usually don't mix," the blonde finally stated in a monotone, and Natsu pulled a hurt expression onto his face, telling himself to act normal for her sake, because she was doing the exact same for him. It was obvious that the celestial mage was starting to feel that foreboding once more, and was overcompensating for the jitters she was showing. Really, she didn't have to try so hard, but that was just how Lucy was.

"That was mean, you weirdo!"

She laughed a little at her best friend's pout, gesturing for him to follow her into the kitchen as she puttered around to make something quick for breakfast. Again, the woman hardly noticed that the eyes of her companion examined her every move, but this time her obliviousness was due to her frayed nerves. Her senses were shot with the feeling of being watched by some supremely sinister being so that she didn't realize that her nakama was watching her closely. Lucy didn't realize the full extent of the fact that that when she was troubled, so too were all of her friends, and her family at Fairy Tail. And if she couldn't completely understand that, then she most certainly couldn't see that Natsu was the most troubled of all of them.

* * *

><p><em>Hall couldn't help but grin to himself, the horrible, twisted features of his face grotesquely writhing and convoluting as he did so. This boy was just showing more and more attachment to the Heartfilia girl, and that would make him so much more fun to trick and taunt and eventually kill. The disfigured man–creature?–allowed himself a dark chuckle, watching as the girl turned back to the task of making breakfast and the boy watched her like a hawk, eyes piercing and concerned.<em>

"_I think he might be in love with the girl," the croaky but feminine voice of Brunhilda startled Hall out of his thoughts. Until the stooped woman shuffled into the light cast by the lacrima, he hadn't realized that there was another in the room. He had been the only surveyor for the last few hours, for even if they were evil and ugly servants, they still needed sleep. The head henchman himself had already taken his brief reprieve, and it seemed that Brunhilda was done with her own short sleep as well._

"_That will make killing him so much more fun," Hall remarked offhandedly. _

_The two continued to watch, noticing how the girl began to fidget more and more._

"_Her only safe haven is in her sleep," Brunhilda remarked, glee leaking through in her voice, "and even then, only when that boy is there. I can't wait to see her face when he's gone, and will never come back. But of course, her despair won't last for too long after that event, will it?"_

_Again, a foul sneer snaked across Hall's features._

"_No, it won't."_

* * *

><p>The breakfast was quick and simple, a few eggs and two slices of bacon apiece. Lucy found it hard to choke down her food, even though she knew she needed the nourishment. She was so focused on trying to eat that she didn't really notice that Natsu was having similar difficulties, but his weren't so clearly defined. He still gobbled down the meal with gusto, but it was lacking from his usual levels of enthusiasm. The dragonslayer's eyes flicked continuously to the troubled girl, and a worried look would flash across his eyes then disappear as quickly as he realized it and returned to making a show out of eating.<p>

"Hey, Luce," he said, forcing himself to speak through a mouthful to break the silence and take a crack at his happy-go-lucky self. The persona that he knew she was most comfortable around, even if she would hit him upside the head or call him an idiot.

"Hn?" she questioned absently, not meeting his gaze as she slowly moved her fork to her mouth.

"Whatcha wanna do today?" Natsu swallowed his meal and grinned widely at the girl, who finally looked up at him. He had a feeling there was food in his teeth, but it made the blonde crack a weak but real grin so he didn't mind. Her happiness was more important than his pride. If it could ease Lucy's unsettled heart, he would gladly lose his pride. "We could take a job," he suggested, reclining in the wooden chair, his fork clattering to the empty plate, "or we could go fishing with Happy! Whaddaya think?"

The celestial mage watched her friend for a moment, then smiled, albeit a forced one.

"I don't know yet. We'll see when we get to the guild, yeah?"

"Sure," Natsu shrugged, then leaned over and snagged a half a piece of bacon. "So hurry up and finish eating so we can get there quicker!"

Yes, the fire mage knew that his blonde nakama needed to eat her food to give herself some much needed strength, but he also knew that in her current state of distress that she could sit and pick at it for hours if she didn't have some sort of prompting. The extra half piece of bacon sticking out of Natsu's mouth would be the nudge she needed.

"Hey, who said you could have my bacon?" she asked, her voice taking on the almost shrill quality that it sometimes tended to. Natsu just shrugged in reply, finishing the meat as Lucy eyed him carefully, eating her food with much less trouble than she had been.

The salmon haired one wondered just when he'd begun to understand the blonde so well.

* * *

><p>Mirajane, Levy, Lisanna, Wendy, and even Cana were all gathered in the infirmary, trying to calm the writhing white Exceed who finally showed signs of waking. She had been unconscious since before Natsu had brought Lucy back to the guild yesterday, and Wendy couldn't do anything. Of course, Charle had just been unconscious, but it was clear that whatever sort of vision the feline had seen was affecting her. She had cried out several times in the depths of her subconscious, and what drew the four women who weren't already in there to rush into the room had been the scream that froze everyone in the guild to their seats. All heads had turned to stare at the closed door to the infirmary as Mira dropped a glass in shock.<p>

She had been running toward the door before the glass had even shattered at her feet. Levy was soon to follow, then Lisanna, and finally, ignoring when the barrel of alcohol she'd abruptly discarded fell from its precarious perch on the bar's edge, came Cana.

"Charle, hush, it's okay," the white haired former 'demon' cooed to the catlike creature as Lisanna wiped the sweat from her forehead. Wendy had one of Charle's paws grasped in a small hand, and Cana and Levy observed with nothing to do as of yet. The card mage then dropped onto the next bed over, quickly pulling out a deck of cards and delving immediately into a reading, ignoring when the solid script mage asked her what she was trying to find out. Levy fell silent then, just watching between the three tending to the small seer and the dark haired woman who was reading a fortune with the speed and precision of one who is practiced, and one who wants an answer.

"The Tower," the woman murmured to herself, almost incredulously. "Crisis, disruption…I _know _that much…_what_? I hardly ever get this one…"

Levy peered over at the card in the woman's hand, seeing a skeletal man atop a similarly bony horse, a black standard carried in one hand. A roman numeral, XIII for thirteen, ran across the top, and the word 'Death' was boldly emblazoned across the bottom.

"Eh? What's that mean, Cana? Is someone going to–?"

"_No_!" the card mage expostulated more violently than intended. "No, it usually doesn't come up as a physical death, but as an ending to a cycle, or a goodbye, or sadness…I don't understand! These two cards are both of the Major Arcana, and they seem to match each other well because a crisis could very well lead to sadness or the end of something, but the situation! It's no clearer to me than it was before!"

Levy had nothing to say, and the others were more concerned with Charle.

Cana flipped another card and hissed between her teeth.

"Another of the Major Arcana," she muttered, "The Moon. Deception. Illusion. Fear. Worry. I know that much, too. But what's going to _happen_?" Levy watched apprehensively as the card mage's confusion only grew when her next card was revealed to be the Ace of Swords. "What? How is there worry and fear when this indicates a decisive ability to cut through things like confusion? This doesn't make sense to me!"

The woman let the cards all tumble onto the bed, getting up and stalking from one side of the room to the other, trying to puzzle through her mystery. She did so for several long minutes, and it was plain to the girl with kind of curly blue hair that Cana was just getting more and more angry with each passing moment. So Levy reached out and put a hand on Cana's shoulder when she was near enough. When she knew she had the taller woman's attention, Levy smiled at her gently.

"Maybe when Charle wakes up, and if she's willing to talk about it all, some things will be clearer?"

Cana blinked, looking at the solid script mage, then smiled softly.

"Yeah. Maybe."

The card mage turned to look at the sweating, fretting, squirming Exceed on the bed.

None of them realized that the four cards she had drawn had somehow ended up atop the scattering of cards that lay on the bed she'd tried to perform her reading on.

* * *

><p>Natsu and Lucy walked side-by-side on their way to the guild, the former keeping the latter talking with random little comments and questions. The blonde was still visibly troubled by whatever this dark and forbidding aura was, but her smiles were a little less forced now. Well, her discomfort was plain to see for the dragonslayer, but perhaps it wouldn't be quite as obvious to others. After all, not everyone could make a point of knowing the girl's mood swings and expressions down to a T like the salmon haired young man.<p>

The fire mage dropped his arm around her shoulder and surprised her when he pulled her closer to his side. And if he was honest, he was surprising himself with the action, too. He'd seriously been over thinking how he felt about her, he knew, but he'd finally come to terms with it. Now wasn't exactly a good time to tell her, with all the uncertainty lingering in the air, so he'd just offer her as much of a shoulder to lean on as he could. And if the celestial mage didn't realize his feelings, she understood that he was just trying to comfort her, so she let her head kind of fall on his shoulder as they walked. It wasn't missed by the two that every person they passed thought they looked like a couple, but Lucy didn't escape Natsu's arm so he didn't worry about it.

The 'couple' image was further established when Lucy's arm snaked around his waist, seeking more of the security that his presence offered her.

"Thanks, Natsu," the girl said softly. He wasn't sure, but he felt like she'd said this many times already in the last couple of days, or that her act of making him breakfast without her usual halfhearted complaints was a way to say it. So he pulled the arm from her shoulder up for just a brief minute to tug at her side ponytail before dropping his hand back down.

"Weirdo," he said, smiling almost affectionately down at her. "I haven't done anything."

She stuck out her bottom lip in kind of a pouting expression, but her face broke into a smile shortly after. The attempt was a failure, but Natsu's grin told her words that his mouth wouldn't form, along the lines of, _'It's nothing, Luce,'_ or, _'Don't worry about it'_. And so she just continued to grin up at him, a genuine smile that she used to express her thankfulness even more than she had already done. His warm, slightly callused hand squeezed her shoulder gently, and she took it as a sign that he understood, so she focused on the ground in front of them once more as Natsu began to dive back into the idle chatter they'd briefly abandoned.

Upon reaching the guild about five minutes later, Lucy dropped her arm from around him. It would be a little more embarrassing, at least to her, for their guild mates to see them as a couple than it was for some random passersby on the street. Natsu, however, left his arm upon her shoulder. It was an action he often did, so the guild shouldn't blow it too out of proportion and consider them a couple. But of course, neither of them knew that many of their nakama already did consider them so, if just in their minds.

Before the dragonslayer could throw open the doors with his usual overzealousness, the blonde reached out and gently pushed them open. Even so, the attention of the subdued guild was drawn to them as they stepped in, and Lucy's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach, or seemed to.

She just _knew_ something had happened! Why hadn't she trusted her feelings more and told them all about it? Had someone been hurt? Or worse–had one of her precious friends, her family, been killed? Did they know who had done it, and was it within her power to exact revenge? It was irrational to think that way, but her desperation and fear were controlling her, and she felt somehow as if everything was her fault. The young man beside her squeezed her shoulder again, pulling her more tightly against his side as if he could see her inner turmoil. Which was exactly the case, but the celestial mage didn't know how well her friend knew her, just that he was highly aware of her emotional, mental distress.

"What's up?" he asked the nearest person in a lower tone. It turned out to be Warren, who glanced around before answering.

"Yesterday, Charle collapsed, and was out in the infirmary. She started to scream bloody murder about an hour ago, and Mira, Lisanna, Levy, and Cana ran in to help Wendy if they could. We haven't heard from them since, but the screaming stopped."

Now Lucy slid out from under Natsu's arm, and he looked at her concernedly, although the worry didn't show very clearly on his face. It just seemed to the others as a strange look for the fire mage to wear, but the blonde understood it well. She had seen it a few times in the last twenty-four hours, and was kind of appreciative.

"I'm going to go see what's going on," the celestial mage said boldly, but in a low tone so she wouldn't attract a lot of attention. As it was, in the action of walking toward the infirmary, she drew every eye in the room. Even after the door closed behind her, attention was focused there. The most lingering gaze of all was that of the salmon haired man, until he slowly made his way to the table at which the Titania sat with Gray and Happy.

"How is Lucy?" Erza asked, her eyes flitting briefly to the infirmary.

"She's still jumpy," Natsu replied, not really in the mood to explain any further than that.

"We all are," Gray said, without his usual insult tagged on to the end, but with a disdainful tone. The scornful tone was slightly softened by the concern he felt for their blonde teammate, but he wouldn't admit that much out loud.

"Aye," the blue Exceed agreed with the ice mage's statement, nodding to emphasize his concurrence.

* * *

><p>"Lucy!" Levy was the first to notice the blonde, as they were all gathered around Charle. The white feline was sitting up now, and had apparently been talking to them. All eyes turned to her as she stepped up to the group.<p>

"Hey, everyone," Lucy greeted softly. "How are you feeling, Charle?"

"Better," the Exceed said, not looking at the girl yet. She was looking down, seeming to be in deep concentration, and the celestial mage was far from wanting to disturb her.

"She's trying to sort through her premonition," Cana explained to Lucy, "before she tells us more than the one thing she said."

"What's the one thing?" Lucy asked, in honest curiosity but with worry as well. The eyes of Mirajane were oddly clouded, and Wendy looked near tears. Lisanna was fidgeting a little, messing with her hands as she watched Charle closely. Levy and Cana stood slightly back with Lucy, both looking as though they were thinking hard, too.

"Just that someone in her vision," Levy paused, looking troubled, and Cana picked it up.

"Someone in the vision she had is killed," the card mage said quietly, though all the others heard it. "And she doesn't know why or how, but she feels like it's one of the guild members, although she couldn't see because he was shrouded in darkness. The only other thing we know so far is that whoever he is was trying to rescue a girl, who also feels like a guild member to Charle, and was stabbed from behind. Neither of their faces could be seen, and she couldn't understand the words that they said."

Lucy furrowed her brows in thought, just as many of the others in the room, and wondered just what all of it could mean.

Cana looked at her pile of cards, laying untouched on the bed next to Charle's, for the first time since she had dropped them there. None of the others noticed how rigid the card mage went as she spotted those four cards from earlier laying atop the others in a reading formation, as though she had placed them there rather than on the bottom of the haphazard pile. The Moon, The Tower, Death, and the Ace of Swords. And she thought of what she knew about Charle's vision, and it kind of coincided. Much more than she had dared thing it could. The possibilities were endless. Who could the two guild members in the vision be? A suspicion darted across her mind, involving the blonde standing next to her, but she roughly discarded the thought. She wouldn't let herself think that way.

The blue haired Levy watched the white feline on the bed concernedly, worrying that the people her vision referred to were really part of Fairy Tail's family. She didn't want to believe that it could be one of her friends, or anyone in the guild for that matter, but if it was true, what would she do? What _could_ she do? Losing one of her friends would be the worst thing to happen to her since she joined Fairy Tail! Even worse than when Gajeel beat she and her teammates and publicly humiliated them. So much worse than that.

Lisanna's worry was clear to read on her face, and her concerned eyes were watching Charle, but she wasn't really seeing anything. Her mind was reeling, trying to figure out the most likely possibility of the pairing in the Exceed's vision. It was obvious, she thought, who they might be. She wouldn't let herself think that way, though, because maybe Charle had been wrong and the people weren't even guild members at all. The younger white haired girl _had_ to think that way, to keep her mind in check.

The older white haired woman had to consciously control her urge to use her Satan Soul and find the culprit of the stabbing that Charle had witnessed. There was no doubt in her mind who the two would be, if it truly was a few of their guild members, and she would do anything to prevent him from dying. Anything that could be done to stop whatever events were being set in motion, she wanted to do, but there was no way of knowing when it would all begin. Mirajane found herself fretting inside, worrying so much more than she had been earlier, and she was eager to hear more. Perhaps if Charle continued and told them all the details, they would know how to prevent that event from happening. She knew she sounded desperate, even in her own mind, but Mira was distraught with the true strength of her worry.

Wendy's wide, concerned eyes were focused on the white feline in the bed, who remained deep in thought. She didn't even contemplate who the people in the vision might be, but worried about the forcefulness of the vision. It had been strong enough that it had made the seer pass out, and Wendy had never seen such a violent reaction from one of the Exceed's visions. Charle was a very motherly figure, the closest Wendy had had to a mother since Grandine's disappearance, and she cared more for the catlike creature than she wanted to admit. It's not that she was embarrassed to care so much, but she knew that attachments could hurt if the worst ever happened to the one you shared the bond with. So her eyes, mature for her fifteen years, were glued to the Exceed.

It was then that Charle looked up, a determined glint in her eyes as she found Mirajane with her eyes and said, "I think I'm ready to tell you."

Her eyes scanned the faces of the six women arrayed about her, lingering for seconds longer on Lucy as some sort of recognition was tweaked in the back of her mind, a recognition that ran deeper than just knowing her as Lucy Hearfilia of Fairy Tail, before letting her eyes find Cana and then Wendy. She closed her cat's orbs one more time, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to speak.

"In the beginning of the vision, you see a girl, chained to a wall and unmoving. At first, I thought she was dead, but then I realized there was a voice, almost lecturing her. I couldn't understand the words, but they felt somehow foreboding. Just the sound of his voice is enough to send chills up my spine."

She was recalling the high, cold laugh from the end of the premonition.

"And after the lecture was over, the vision changed. This is where the man first shows up, running across the room to the woman. She lifts her head, and he's frantic, talking to her. Again, I can't hear the words. They're like a far away murmur, indiscernible. My viewpoint of the situation changed again, and there was a figure looming up behind the savior. And then…" Charle choked off.

"If it's too much, you don't have to, Charle," Wendy cooed soothingly, her eyes fearful.

"No, I have to!" the white feline said, shaking her head. "It was like…it grew out of his chest. Th-the knife. There was a sickening sort of crunch, and there was a knife sticking through him, and there was blood dripping down onto the girl's dark dress, and I could see her cheek in the dim light, but none of her other features, and blood splattered across it. She started screaming and struggling, probably calling out his name. I think he might have said hers one more time as he collapsed, and the person who stabbed him held up the blade and…licked it. I couldn't see anything of him but that he was tall, with almost silver hair and a blue eye with a cat's pupil. And then…he laughed…"

The Exceed shuddered, covering her face with her paws as Wendy leaned forward to try to comfort her. Lisanna and Levy and Lucy rushed forward to do the same, but Mirajane took a small step back, raising a hand to her mouth. Cana stumbled backwards, hitting herself behind the knees on the other bed and tumbling down to it. She felt the slickness of her cards beneath one hand and, almost fearful of what she would see, she turned to find the Death card underneath her hand.

It was all the card mage could do not to throw up her morning supply of beer.

* * *

><p><em>Ice blue eyes observed the scene of the women, catching all the small changes in their mannerisms. He caught the unadulterated fear in the card mage's eyes as the dark haired woman spotted the cards laying on the infirmary bed, and knew that all of the women were thinking of the possibilities. From the few looks cast in the direction of the blonde, the mastermind behind the evil plot to somehow attain Lucy's blood knew that at least three of the women assumed Lucy was somehow involved in the Exceed's vision. He smirked at the uncertainty this would create. And as he watched the reactions, the expression just stretched across his face even more.<em>

_His favorite reactions were those of the 'Demon' Mirajane and the dark haired Cana Alberona. The better of the two, though, was the dark haired woman's actions. And the card underneath her hand, the Death card, would certainly make her more fretful than she had already been, especially upon hearing the white feline's premonition._

"_You are pleased with this development, milord?" asked one of the six hunched figures in the shadows._

_The tall man turned from the surveillance lacrima. From the tone of his voice, it was known that he still had that sinister smirk on his features._

"_Of course I am. The more troubled they are in their hearts, the easier it will be for us to take the girl. We will find the most opportune moment soon, and we will have her within our grasp. The blood of Lucy Heartfilia, one of the precious fairies of Fairy Tail, will be ours, and will serve our purpose well. This I promise you."_

"_We have no doubts, milord," this voice was recognizable as Undin, the third of the servants. "We are in your service completely."_

_A murmur of assent rolled through those assembled, and the high and cold laughter of their mysterious master rang out._

"_Keep watching the girl, as I have commanded," the man said imperiously, proving that he was used to having the unerring loyalty of these disfigured creatures. Monsters who were once men, but were now so horribly grotesque that others refused their company. "Any changes, or a time when she is alone and will be for a while, tell me. I will come and observe, and decide whether it is the moment to strike or not. Inform me if the girl and her comrades go out on a job, as well. In that case, our chance may arise and I would loathe to miss it. Am I understood?"_

"_Of course, milord," Brunhilda's croak sounded. "We shall do exactly as you say."_

"_I expected as much." the man wheeled about, striding to the door and out of it, leaving his minions to watch the scene unfold on their special lacrima crystal._

* * *

><p><strong>So…whatcha think? Don't be shy! Tell me! Yell at me! I don't bite…hard. XD<strong>

**And thanks yet again for all your support! It keeps me going. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Gosh, your reviews make me smile so much it's not even funny! You guys! 0/0 **

**I'm not kidding, though. You people are absolutely amazing when it comes to your reviews on my story/stories. I mean, seriously! My other story, which only has two-three more chapters than this one right now, is already at over 100 reviews! Gosh. This one has 35; I wonder if we can get it up to where Until She's Home Again is by the time it reaches chapter six? Haha, I doubt it, but it's worth a try! But I won't force you guys XD**

**Anyway, I thought I'd warn you, if I haven't already, that updates will probably be a bit slower after Monday, August 22nd****, because I'll be entering my senior year of high school. I'm taking a few college level classes and yadda, yadda, yadda. Details. Bleh. But yeah. I'll still try to get at least two chapters a month, though! I love Fairy Tail too much to lose it XD**

"**Shut up!" I can feel you screaming, so here's Chapter 5 of **_**A Fairy's Blood!**_

* * *

><p>Cana was shaking still, fifteen minutes after Charle had told them, haltingly and hesitantly, of the premonition that she had had. The others were grouped off and talking about the vision; Lisanna and Mira over on the bed on the opposite side of the white Exceed, Wendy and Charle of course by the bed the small creature was on, and Lucy and Levy standing at the foot of the beds. Cana, however, remained alone on the bed upon which her cards had been scattered. With shaking hands, she struggled to make a reading, but this time about Lucy. She had tried to get Lucy's future to show up earlier, whilst clearly thinking that she wanted to know what was going to happen. Now, she just attempted the reading by thinking of Lucy; just of the blonde herself, not of the future. Perhaps it would work this way, the card mage reasoned. Something had to work.<p>

Yet nothing that the brunette had seen in her fortune telling had made sense to her. She couldn't try too much, or the readings would be jumbled and definitely inaccurate, but she couldn't help it when she was as worried as this.

Just when her thoughts of Lucy lapsed, and she just was thinking about the guild and her guild mates in general, she pulled the top card off.

She nearly choked on air, her fingers trembling and knuckles going white. In her hand, yet again, was that horrible, empty stare given to her by Death.

* * *

><p>"I wonder what's happening in there…?" Happy wondered aloud after a while, worriedly watching the infirmary doors for a sign that Lucy, or any of the other girls, were going to come out soon. And of course, the blue Exceed would be exceedingly worried about his white, female counterpart. Natsu tried not to show his nervousness, acting his usual, carefree self. But deep down, he had a feeling that something was amiss, or would soon be. And it was strange, because he never usually had this kind of thought, or deep gut feeling, but he just knew that this wasn't just a stomachache or something. No stomachache could feel so <em>real<em>, so oppressive and threatening. So…_dangerous_.

He wouldn't admit it, but the nearly fearless dragonslayer was more than just nervous; he was scared.

"I don't know," Erza said, following Happy's gaze. Her eyes were more troubled than Natsu wanted them to be, because if Erza was troubled it usually spelled out the fact that something utterly horrible was approaching. The dragonslayer in question wanted to shake the Titania, tell her to _stop_ making that face because it was making him so _damn_ scared! And Natsu _hated_ to be scared. Especially of the unknown.

"Damn it," Gray spat, "I hate this."

Juvia, who was sitting near him, cast a sympathetic look at her Gray-sama, but didn't say anything. Natsu caught the look and understood that she didn't speak because she didn't have any idea what to say about it. He didn't, either. No one did.

Pantherlily could be seen from across the room, watching the door with a strange mixture of emotions. Worry, of course. But more than that, there was trepidation in his eyes. Natsu saw this, too, and wondered why he noticed all the things that made him sink further into his fearful, inner frenzy. Was there something just out to get him?

Natsu seriously thought there might be, as every face his eyes locked on, even for the briefest of seconds, all had some negative emotion etched upon them, and it set his gut to roiling uncomfortably. And on top of all of that, another odd feeling he'd been having for a few days settled over him.

He felt like he was being watched.

* * *

><p>"<em>Look at him squirm," cackled one of the disfigured men and women crowded around the lacrima crystal. "Like a worm on a hook, he wriggles!"<em>

_The unmistakable glee in the voice made all the others let their mirth escape as well, the sound of all of them laughing such a discordant sound that it made even the mice in the room huddle as close to the stone walls as they could, finding no reprieve from the evil noises pervading the air._

"_The master will dispose of this boy, will he not?" asked a croaky, old man. The wrinkles of his skin made his appearance so much more grotesque, wispy white hair appearing only in tufts. There were parts of his head where his skin was stretched tight, sewn there in years long in the past, and others where the stitching had rotted and let small flaps of skin peel away. He was like the worst creature imaginable, a thing from any horror-filled nightmare and capable of striking fear in the hearts of even the most fearless of men._

"_When the time comes," Hall's recognizable voice came, eerie in the near darkness. "As much fun as it would be to strike him down, the master will claim that joy in due time."_

"_As long as I get to watch, I'll be satisfied," a feminine voice then spoke up, not unlike Brunhilda's but then again entirely different. Her voice sounded almost croakily whispery, words coming in short bursts of breath. The woman who owned the lips that had spoken those words could not be discerned among her comrades, choosing to stay hidden as the others cackled their agreement to her statement._

_The shot turned then on the women in the room with the white cat. Brunhilda's chuckle then started._

"_The card mage is fearful of what she cannot foresee," the hunched woman said with unbridled joy. "Perhaps she, too, must fall to our hands…I would very much love to do the honors…"_

"_You and the rest of us, Brunie," came the whispery woman's voice. Murmurs of assent rippled through the dozen or so gathered, the light of the lacrima flickering across their faces. Each visage was just as marred and ugly as the one before, if not more so. They were truly a fright to behold._

* * *

><p>The hair on the back of Lucy's neck stood on end and she paused in the middle of her sentence, turning from Levy for a moment to peer around them. There was no one to be seen in the room aside from the women and the Exceed, but Lucy felt her unease return with a vengeance. She hadn't felt so uneasy all morning, but now it was tantamount to her huge fit of unease after her nightmare, the one in which Natsu had died.<p>

"Lucy?"

The blonde jerked her attention back to her blue haired friend, and smiled weakly.

"Sorry, Levy. I just felt…odd."

Neither noticed the card mage's gaze shoot up, overhearing the celestial mage's words. Nor did anyone see the almost crazed, fearful look in Cana's eyes as she glanced back down at the card still in her hand.

_Death_.

The word bounced around in the brunette's head ceaselessly, making her question her own sanity. Perhaps, she thought desperately, all of this failure to read was coming from the unusual lack of alcohol in her system. A foolish assumption, and she promptly tossed it aside. A few deep breaths served to calm her frantically racing heart, but only just. There was much to be worried about, and she just couldn't seem to keep her cool under this stress. The blonde was one of her better friends, ever since the S-class exams, and Cana worried more for the girl's safety than she did for her own at the moment. So the card in her hand scared her witless.

_What if_, the card mage wondered, _the card actually stands for the physical death of a person just this once_?

It was a thought that frightened her. And yet again, no one noticed.

"Lu-chan," Levy's voice permeated the room in a whisper, though Lucy and the card mage were the only ones who paid it any heed. "Do you need to lay down? Are you feeling sick? Do you feel the same way you felt when you stayed home the other day, until Natsu went and got you?"

Lucy blinked, and Cana raised an eyebrow, unnoticed by the two good friends. Of course Lucy would have told the solid script mage that she felt strange the day that Natsu had gone after her early in the morning and returned with her in the early afternoon. Anyone could have seen that by the kind of wary look she wore, like a deer stuck in a bright light.

"I just felt a little strange, Levy. Just one of those weird feelings you get sometime," Lucy waved her hand dismissively, but Levy had another idea.

"Like you're being watched?" the girl's tone was soft, worried, and definitely just a trifle fearful. Cana noticed then that Mirajane and Lisanna turned to watch the quietly talking and oblivious duo that included the celestial mage. So, too, did Wendy and Charle. Cana met each of their eyes in turn, and in unspoken agreement they all focused on Lucy and Levy, listening hard for their conversation. If it was true that Lucy felt like she was being watched, Cana knew that they'd have to do something. Tell her teammates, maybe? Though the card mage had a deep concern pertaining to one of their number gaining knowledge of it all.

"W-what?"

The blonde's stutter was not missed, and the brunette in the room saw the sudden despair filling Mira's usually cheerful blue eyes. The stutter was not something that Lucy was prone to, and it just proved that she did feel as though someone was watching her. Cana felt, deep down, that it wasn't a very good sign. Not with all the unease filtering through the guild during every waking moment in the last several days.

"Lucy," Charle's voice surprised them all, especially the girl in question, who jumped as though stung. The white Exceed's gaze was penetrating, calculating. It was as if Charle was seeing something that they didn't, but she couldn't quite place what it was. The color purple came to the feline's mind, but she could not for the life of her recall where the seemingly random hue had come from, just that the fact itself seemed important. So the exceed asked, "Lucy, do you like purple?"

To every girl in the room, the question sounded odd, a random thing that they were unused to hearing from Charle. Mira stepped forward and felt the Exceed's forehead, and Lucy asked Charle if she was okay. And once more all the women grouped together around the smallest figure, save for the card mage sitting on the next bed over. But yet again, the brunette seemed to have thought of something that the others had overlooked and remained staring, unseeing, at the spot where the blonde celestial mage had stood prior to everyone returning to the feline's side. Charle's question about purple, although she didn't remember what the significance of it would be, had struck a chord within the brunette.

_Purple_, the card mage thought, _wasn't the girl in Charle's vision wearing a purple dress?_

* * *

><p>It had been an hour and a half since Natsu and Lucy had arrived at the guild and Lucy had promptly disappeared into the infirmary. None of the women had emerged except for Cana, who had come out five minutes earlier, her bag slung over her shoulder and cards in hand. She was flipping through them quickly, concentrating hard, so she didn't even notice when Gray or any of the others tried to hail her and ask about Charle. With all haste, she exited the guild without a look back. These actions of hers did nothing to calm the others. In fact, it may have just exacerbated the worry that they all still harbored in their hearts.<p>

Natsu didn't realize he'd been staring at the door, waiting for someone else to follow the card mage out and tell them all what had happened with Charle. But all that he really wanted at that moment was for Lucy to be back where he could keep a close eye on her. Sitting beside him at the table, smiling like she used to, or even sitting at the bar and chatting it up with Mira. Where, he knew, he'd have gone up to bug her, sit beside her, _anything_ to be near to her. With the dark foreboding aura that seemed to engulf everything lately, he wanted to be sure that she, of all people, was safe.

The door sounded, and the attention he'd averted when he noticed his stare returned, only to see the eldest of the three white-haired guild siblings emerging. Mirajane made her way out of the infirmary, smiled softly at the guild, and slipped up the stairs, towards Master Makarov's office. Immediately following her, Lisanna came out and went behind the bar, going over to Macao, who sat there, and asked him if he needed something. And the dragonslayer couldn't help but think that there was something up with the way they were all acting; the sisters and Cana, that is.

"Hey," a soft voice greeted beside Natsu, and he jumped at the unsuspected voice of Lucy as she slid onto the bench at his side.

"When did you come out of there?" he asked, staring at her in surprise.

"You were looking that way," the blonde gestured in the vague direction of the bar, looking to be in thought but continued, "when I came out with Levy and Wendy and Charle. Didn't you hear Happy yell and fly over to see how she was?"

Lucy cocked an eyebrow at Natsu. She was used to him being oblivious, but to not even notice something like that? Because he really _hadn't_ noticed. He looked sheepish as his eyes widened and he turned his head so fast she thought he'd get whiplash, spotting Happy sitting with Charle and Wendy at the bar by Lisanna. Then he looked back at Lucy and shook his head no in answer to her inquiry, as if she hadn't already deduced that same answer. She sighed at him and shook her head in a falsely disappointed manner. It didn't really matter to her, though; he was a good friend and she was used to this sort of thing.

Besides, the blonde was much more preoccupied with her wariness.

"Hey, Luce, let's go pick out a job!" the happy-go-lucky fire mage grabbed her arm and hauled her up, pulling her along with him to the request board in order to find one. "We need something to do, it's too boring around here today!"

Contrary to what Lucy would have thought, Natsu was actually a pretty good actor. Most of the guild couldn't even see that he was really concerned about her, or that he was uneasy, let alone the girl herself. He hid that all behind his normal demeanor, which he somehow had pretty much perfect despite the turmoil that boiled in his gut. Lucy was even slightly cheered by his normalcy, because everyone else in the guild seemed so reserved now. And it was a time when she could have really used their rowdy natures as a way to cheer up. Even just a little.

A ripping, crinkling sound brought her out of her wishful thoughts, about the usual noise and life of the guild, and she blinked at the paper held right in front of her nose. Taking it from the seemingly excited pink-haired dragonslayer, she peered at it curiously. It didn't seem like it would be very difficult, for a modest 100,000 jewels.

"Sure," she told the anxiously waiting person next to her. His trademark childish grin spread across his features and he cheered a little, dragging Lucy with him over to Lisanna, who would serve as Mirajane's proxy and sign the job out to them. Lisanna cast an odd glance at them, signing them off on the job anyway. The two then left, but not before asking Happy if he was coming and being refused, because Charle wasn't being as cold as usual. She wasn't paying attention to him, of course, but it was still better than usual and he didn't want to pass it up.

* * *

><p>"<em>Inform the master immediately," a voice croaked out. "Tell him that the girl has taken a job, and that only the boy is going with her."<em>

"_Understood," came the whispery feminine tone, and a door cracked open briefly, a shaft of light falling upon the several hunched and horribly disfigured figures crowded around the lacrima crystal through which they surveyed the blonde girl. Their gaze was riveted upon the girl and her companion as they exited the building that read _Fairy Tail_ across the front and turned right, heading up the street. The boy was trying to get her to interact, almost in a playful manner, but she was in thought._

_A fleeting, trouble expression crossed the dragonslayer's face, but he hid it nearly as quickly as it had shown. Hall noticed the slipup, however, and let a malicious grin stretch across his stitched and lumpy face. Yet again, he was thinking of just how much fun toying with this boy would be before killing him, but of course, the master would get the honor of finishing him. And the master didn't understand the certain joy that you could extract from tormenting and torturing a victim prior to ending their suffering; the master preferred quick deaths. _

* * *

><p>Cana had to go somewhere that she could find peace and solitude, without all the others there to distract her. She had to do her best to try one final, large-scale reading to see what she could find out about Lucy, what was in Lucy's future, any relationship with anyone who'd give their lives for her, or any sort of danger that crept nearer. The card mage had to do something–<em>anything<em>–or she would go mad. For her to even have a chance of getting a correct reading, she'd had to go find solitude.

And where else could she find that but at Lucy's 70,000 jewel apartment?

It's not like the others didn't break in all the time, she reasoned, and it wasn't like she hadn't done the same thing before, so it was no biggie. She just used a card to jimmy it open and voila! She was in. And really, there wasn't any better place to try to get a decent prediction than in the living quarters of the person that she was trying to predict for. Lucy should thank her for breaking into the apartment, since it was all for her sake. But it wasn't like the blonde knew what was going through Cana's head; no one else really knew at the moment, but she didn't like it. And if she was right, it would spell bad things for the celestial mage in the very near future.

* * *

><p>A few hours had passed, and Lucy and Natsu reentered the guild, the former looking a bit more tuckered out than the latter. But really, when was Natsu ever worn out at all?<p>

"At least you didn't blow anything up," Lucy was saying to Natsu, smiling a little at him.

"How can you blow something up when all you're doing is taking fifty dogs for a walk?" he asked blankly, looking at her oddly. "You're always saying such weird things, Luce."

"Well, you _are_ always blowing things up!" the blonde complained in her defense, sliding onto a stool at the bar in front of Mirajane. "Really. I can't rely on just jobs with you guys to pay my rent, because Erza refuses rewards sometimes, and you and Erza and Gray all destroy half the town, so we get decreased pay for the repairs and everything. I can't even go treat myself to a nice dinner at the new restaurant I want to go to because I have to pay for everything at my apartment!"

Natsu blinked at her outburst as Mira sat a glass of water in front of the whining blonde. A whining Lucy was better than a brooding one, but the dragonslayer wanted her to be not only her normal self, but happy and able to do things, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I'll take you, then."

In mid-complaint, Lucy stopped and turned to him and asked, "What?"

"That restaurant. I'll take you if you wanna go, Luce."

She stared at him, making him feel warmth around his neck that had nothing to do with his scarf. Natsu realized he was embarrassed, but was glad that it didn't spread to his cheeks because that would make it obvious. He wasn't even sure what the reason was, but the way that Lucy gaped at him cutely, with mouth kind of open and a little pink dusting her lately too-pale cheeks had to be part of it.

"Did I just hear you ask Lucy on a _date_, Natsu?" Mirajane asked, almost incredulously. For him to do such a thing was kind of inconceivable, even if the white haired woman had been trying to get the two of them together. For him to just up and say something like that…it made her feel like her matchmaking was working, but a part of her disagreed and told her that her attempts were unneeded because her victims could realize their feelings on their own.

Natsu wasn't paying attention to the many different expressions crossing the matchmaker's face, but had been watching Lucy as she turned to Mira, ready to rebut but unsure of what words to use as her whole face reddened. And the dragonslayer wondered; was he asking her on a date? Would Lucy agree to go on one with him if he did say that's what it was? How much would it mean to her if he did ask that? And if they did go on a date, wouldn't he get an excuse to stay nearer to her, to protect her like he wanted to so badly? The other question that came to mind, though, was a resounding, _what would this mean to me?_ Because he really couldn't deny that he felt a lot for his nakama–was it because of _this_ kind of thing? The whole dating, and girlfriends, and like and maybe even _love_ thing?

But this was Natsu, and he didn't dwell on this for long.

All things are worth a shot, right?

"Yeah," he said, shrugging as Mira's eyes widened considerably. Lucy's attention returned to him as he continued, "Is that surprising? Is something wrong with it?"

The dragonslayer blinked innocently at Mira, and looked at Lucy the same way. Her face, ears, and neck was turning red–_is Luce _that_ embarrassed, too_?–and he felt his neck get really hot, and it spread to his ears, and _damn it_ if it didn't start tingling his cheeks too.

"I-I don't know if you have enough money," Lucy tried to recover, diverting her attention, "that new restaurant is expensive, which is why I can't go. It's a fancy place, so–"

"We'd have to dress up and all of that shit?" Natsu asked, cocking his head inquisitively, like a curious cat. "That's fine. I've got some money saved, too, y'know. I don't have a ridiculous rent like you, weirdo. So…? Are you just gonna leave me hanging, Luce?"

If she could light herself on fire, Lucy thought, she couldn't be any hotter in the face than she was right now. Seriously, was Natsu asking her these sort of things because he felt the same, or just because he didn't understand the concept of a _date_? She didn't think he was so dense as to not understand, and besides, he was agreeing to dress up for her. So maybe it wasn't just some fluke, or misconception or misunderstanding or anything, but really a genuine date. And the blonde couldn't deny that Natsu was definitely a worthy candidate for a relationship with in her eyes. He had so many of the qualities she liked in a guy, like his loyalty and willingness to protect, and he wasn't half bad in the looks department, not to mention that pretty nice set of abs. If it was possible, thinking about this, her face was getting redder.

"W-what time?" she finally said, glancing back at him and–_holy_ shit_, was he blushing too?_–peering up through her lashes. If anything, Natsu's blush deepened a little at that unintentionally adorable look. He had to take a few seconds to compose himself so he wouldn't stutter like she did, which was a rare thing because he usually didn't care. He stumbled over his words anyway.

"P-pick you up at seven?" was his question.

"O-okay," Lucy nodded, looking down embarrassedly.

_When did Lucy start being so damn adorable?_

"Lucy, you'd better get going!" Mira said, breaking into their conversation. It was obvious that she'd been listening in the entire time. "Take Levy and Lisanna with you to help you get ready, you've only got thirty minutes!"

"What?" Lucy's eyes widened. She glanced at the clock behind the bar and just as Mirajane had said, it was six thirty. "What?" the blonde repeated, eyes growing wider.

"Levy! Lisanna!" Mirajane called, "Come here, please! Hurry!"

Perhaps Mira shouldn't have worried them, because they all knew the guild was on edge, but the matchmaker was just so excited that two of her victims were finally starting down the path to love on their own. Or that's the way she saw it. And she preferred it that way.

"What, nee-chan?" Lisanna asked, worry in her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Levy asked, eyes widened in some sort of combination of concern and trepidation. "What do you need?"

"You need to take Lucy home and help her get ready!" Mira said, "Go! Have Lucy explain on the way!"

The former S-class mage then ushered her younger sister, the blue haired solid script mage, and the blonde celestial mage from the bar and off toward the doors, turning to Elfman and Gray on the way back and pulling them along with her, telling them that they'd need to help Natsu get ready, and fast.

"For what?" Gray asked, frowning at the dragonslayer.

"For his date with Lucy, of course!" Mirajane gushed, and Gray promptly fell over.

"Getting a date with the girl you like is the manly thing to do," said Elfman knowingly, nodding. He hauled Gray to his feet and did the same with Natsu as he started to leave the guild. The ice mage and fire mage stumbled before gaining their balance and trailing after the larger, beefier man as he picked up his pace.

"I can't believe _you_ had the balls to ask her out," Gray said under his breath. "It took you long enough, you dumbass."

"Hey–wait, what? Took me long enough…?" Natsu forgot to take offence at Gray's insult, finding the second part of his statement a little confusing at first, but making sense of it soon after. He wanted to confirm the thought, though, and Gray did just that for him.

"Yeah. Couldn't you tell she's liked you for _years_? And it's obvious that you like her, so it's about damn time you did something about it. You're telling me you never really noticed?" Natsu's once more sheepish expression, and revived blushing proved the dark haired man correct and he snorted and said, "God, you're oblivious."

Natsu frowned, but chose not to comment, following Elfman obediently back to his house alongside Gray.

He really wanted to be at the blonde celestial mage's side, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it if he had to dress up for this date of theirs. And besides, she had Lisanna and Levy with her right now. All three girls were members of Fairy Tail, strong mages in their brands of magic, and both of the others were good friends to Lucy, so they wouldn't be very easily brought down if it came to someone or something threatening her. Anyway, he'd be with her in twenty-five minutes.

For a date.

_Damn that blush!_

* * *

><p>"<em>Our chance didn't arise during their mission," said the smooth, deceivingly honey-like tone of the evil mastermind, "but it will tonight. Be ready. You will go to retrieve the girl when I command you to, but leave the boy be. We can have a little fun watching him wallow, can't we?"<em>

_Cackles of agreement came from his stooped companions._

"_Nezra will be pleased with her offering, yes?" questioned a voice._

"_Of course!" said a sharp feminine voice, and Brunhilda was identifiable among the crowd of henchmen and women. "If milord says so, then it will be so!"_

"_At ease, Brunhilda," a pale hand with long, slim fingers was visible at the tall man's side, motioning for them to quiet down. "Don't you see, Rizkash? Can't you tell that she's the one Nezra has waited for? The girl that the prophecy has always foretold? It does not matter that others have been tried before now and been useless, because it was not until we came along that the prophecy was rediscovered. We delved into the oldest, deepest records to find what we desired, behind the backs of the mage guilds and of the council, and we have reached the end. The plan will culminate before the week is out. You have my word."_

"_Yes, master," the voice of the one he called Rizkash said meekly, bowing out._

"_Milord," said Undin's tones, "when do we leave?"_

_The tall man did not answer just yet, watching the surveillance lacrima as the girl came out of her bathroom modeling a strapless, knee-length purple dress with silver embroidery for the blue haired and white haired girls awaiting her. The two girls showed approval clearly, hugging her and tugging her down so they could attend to her hair, teasing her it seemed, as the blonde blushed a ridiculously dark red. The mastermind held a long fingered hand above the lacrima, and the scene changed to a brawny white haired man re-teaching the oblivious boy how to button up a shirt. A black suit jacket lay over a chair nearby, and the almost naked man held a tie up to the salmon haired man, shook his head, and found a purple one. A kind of smirk plastered his face, and he seemed to insist on the purple tie. The big man agreed._

_After fifteen minutes of silence, and of switching back to Lucy Heartfilia's preparations, the ghoulish creatures watched Natsu Dragneel as he arrived at the door, using the slab of wood for once, as he formally handed the girl a white rose that had no thorns. In a move that even the evil man and his followers could tell was uncharacteristic of him, he tucked it behind her ear and they both blushed. Then they linked arms and headed out._

_The two were watched until they entered the restaurant, and then a smile stretched across the pale features of the silver haired man with ice blue eyes. Catlike slits grew thinner._

"_You may go stake out the area now."_

"_Yes, milord!" the team of six that he had chosen for the job beforehand moved out, into position._

"_It begins," he said softly, in a voice that belied the honeyed tones he used earlier. "And they shall not make it out alive. Not Miss Heartfilia, not the dragon-child, not anyone of Fairy Tail. And we shall reign supreme."_

_The gleeful cackles rose around him, and his high, cruel laughter joined it._

* * *

><p><strong>Cana became more important than I had thought she would. But I find I kind of like writing this side of Cana; and she'll be important sometime in the next chapter, too.<strong>

**This is longer than I thought it would be, but it also feels a bit rushed to me, so sorry if the quality is a bit poorer than usual. I wanted to warn you that updates may be a little slower and, on another note, this will probably end in 3-5 chapters. I've had the end planned since chapter three, but I literally JUST came up with the date thing…an hour ago? Yeah. Haha.**

**Anyway, R&R if you feel like it! I like to hear from you guys, and I reply to all my reviews unless you don't use an account.**


	6. Chapter 6

**You know what, guys?**

**I think I love you. **

**Haha, really, though, your reviews and support is what keeps me going! Though I'm doing this chapter sooner than originally intended, mostly for my own enjoyment, I thought I'd ask a favor?**

**IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! Well, it was…I turned 18 years old about three days ago (Saturday, September 3****rd****). So just this once, if you haven't dropped a review, would you review and tell me what you think, as a birthday favor? Even if it's the only time you'll ever review, I would really appreciate the input; what are your thoughts on the story? Is it suitably suspenseful? Agonizingly teasing? Driving you nuts? Just let me know! Even if you just say, "I really love this story; keep it up!" or, "There are things you could do better but plz keep writing!" or something. I don't care, as long as it's not, "U suk stop riting 4evr. Srsly."**

**Anyway…I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Chapter Six. Mr. Chapter Six, please meet your audience. Are you acquainted? Good.**

**Haha, have fun. Or not…? Hmm…**

* * *

><p>Lucy flushed deeply as she and Natsu entered the restaurant, arms linked. The warmth of his hand on the skin of her arm made her feel all tingly, but she liked the feeling. The blonde knew that her face was probably still at least pink, if not a shade of red, but oddly enough, she couldn't bring herself to care overmuch about it. A glance out of the corner of her brown eyes up at the salmon-haired guy beside her made her face heat up some more, but she was comforted by the pink that wasn't disguised on his own cheeks. His hair was less unruly than she was used to, but it was by no means combed back neatly or anything. The hand he ran through it shortly after they left Elfman, Gray, Lisanna, and Levy behind was enough to see to that.<p>

Something the celestial mage couldn't help but notice, after the pinkette's arrival on her doorstep, was the absence of the scarf. She had glanced covertly at him until they reached the restaurant, and was not disappointed; dangling out of the back pocket of his slacks was the white, scaled scarf. Half of it somehow disappeared into the pocket without leaving an unsightly bulge on his ass, but the other half fell down to about his knee. Lucy found it kind of adorable. And it's not like the rest of him didn't look pretty hot in a suit; who knew Natsu cleaned up so good? That purple tie was a decent accompaniment to his pink hair, and it matched the shade of the cute purple dress that she wore. Even down to a bit of silver embroidery that looked like vines. Lucy had to look closely to notice that little detail.

_Damn, Natsu looks good in a suit!_

Lucy couldn't really help herself when she thought that way. Did he honestly have to look so _hot_? It's not like she wasn't already attracted to him before now, but just seeing him trying to be a perfect gentleman like he was made her weak in the knees. She was glad for his arm, because it meant she wouldn't go tumbling to the ground in an unsightly manner.

And little did the blonde know that the guy with the salmon hair was thinking along the same lines.

_Holy _shit_, Luce looks great tonight…_

Natsu had agreed that it was a date just to test the waters a bit, but he was learning the truth pretty damn fast. Lucy Heartfilia had always been beautiful, but tonight she was plain gorgeous. The way that dress she wore hugged all the right places and how the color of the garment and the embroidery around the bodice, both which matched his tie didn't hurt, either, and he realized his attraction for her was a hell of a lot stronger than he'd realized. The matching colors made them seem more like a couple than anything, he thought, because who could have pictured the goddess next to him actually being _with_ him? Mirajane aside.

Another thing he realized was that he, of course, was a _guy_, and so his hormones coupled with the girl he liked made him just want to reach out and touch her, or hold her, but he restrained because, damn it, he was Natsu Dragneel and he didn't show stuff like that!

He stole another glance at Lucy, though. Her hair was kind of up to the side, a little like her usually hairdo, but it fell down her right shoulder in delicate golden curls. There was a purple bow with embroidery that also matched the dress (and, he couldn't help but recall, his tie) that kept the hair off the back of her neck. The makeup that the girls, probably with Cancer's assistance, had applied was modest but flattering. It only added to the beauty of the girl beside him, even if he did think she was pretty without the stuff. The scent she wore intrigued him, and he figured out why pretty soon because the perfume was lingering around them. It was interesting to the dragonslayer because he had been the one to purchase this for her, with the recommendations of Cana, Levy, Lisanna, and Wendy.

_Damn_, it smelled good on her.

Natsu looked over as a man, dressed in a neatly pressed black tailcoat, white shirt, black bowtie, and black slacks with shiny and expensive-looking black shoes, came up to them. He had a nametag, but the dragonslayer couldn't make out the name. This had to be one of the waiters.

"Let me take you to your seats, Mr…?" the server asked, leaving the sentence hanging.

"Dragneel," Lucy supplied, just to have something to say to attempt to get her mind off of her embarrassing thoughts that included a dark corner and tongues. "Natsu Dragneel. I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

"Mr. Dragneel and Miss Heartfilia," the server did a little bow. "Right this way, please!"

Natsu kind of watches the man walk away blankly, but at a gentle tug from the angel whose arm was linked with his, he followed. He caught a whiff of that perfume, and he had to let himself release her arm. She looked at him, almost with a hurt expression, but he didn't notice. Natsu was already reaching his arm around behind her, and Lucy was kind of shocked when it fell into place around her waist. Her blush deepened as he drew her just a little closer to his side protectively. However much the blonde tried, she couldn't deny that his arm just felt so _right_.

"Here's your booth," said their server as he drew aside a curtain that opened to a small little table for two. Lucy felt her cheeks go even warmer at the sight. Even if she had heard rave reviews about the place, and knew it was fancy, she hadn't been aware of the fact that they had some of the small, curtained booths. She'd heard rumors that places like this had a good eye for picking the people who were more likely to want to publicly show their affection and would lead those couples to the curtained off booths. The celestial mage wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed, confused, mad, or _excited_.

Did she and Natsu really look enough like a couple that they thought something would happen?

While she had been lost in thought, Natsu had been watching the pink on her cheeks. He was the only one out of the two who heard the server excuse himself to bring them a customary free first glass of wine. Natsu had nodded to him, and the extravagant curtain fell mostly closed on them, leaving their space illuminated by the gentle light of a paper lantern.

* * *

><p>"<em>It's plain to see, milord," said one of the servants who remained behind, looking up at the shadowed visage belonging to the evil mastermind behind the plan to whisk Lucy Heartfilia away and bring about the destruction of Fairy Tail. <em>

"_What is?"_

"_The boy is becoming attracted to her," the smaller voice replied. "Even more than he was before. If this continues, I think he really will come after her here. If you would let the team take him out, it would save us a lot of worry–"_

"_I will deal with him when he arrives," said the cold voice, more piercing than usual. "I have already said this, and I would very much like to do the dirty work. I want to see the light fade from his eyes, see the hope turn to despair, and see him crumble at my feet. My hands will be dyed red with the blood of the Fool, and I will feel the better for it."_

"_Y-yes, milord."_

_The thin, svelte man leaned over, resting an elbow on the arm of his throne and propping his chin up in his hand. He watched the punishment lacrima with a nearly disinterested look on the one half of his face that was visible in the flickering light. The waiter had come back to the two, setting glasses of the restaurant's signature wine, a pink color similar to the boy's hair and advertised as a combination of red and white wines, on the table before them. He had menus as well, and laid the expensive-looking items on the table. His mouth moved, undoubtedly telling the two mages on their date that he would be back for their order shortly, before he turned and left, the curtains closing with a gentle wave._

_A smirk spread across the silvery-blue haired man's features._

* * *

><p>"Oh!" Lucy was embarrassed at the soft exclamation as she sat her wineglass gently back down.<p>

"What is it, Luce?" Natsu asked, looking closely at her in alarm. That wine hadn't been poisoned or anything, had it?

Even though this was a date, it had still stemmed from the dragonslayer's concern for her safety. If it had even a little basis in his feelings for her, it was on a subconscious level, but his protectiveness of his nakama, especially her, was in the forefront of his mind. Natsu had controlled his voice well, though, and flashed her a trademark grin. He found that he relished causing that extra dusting of pink to add another layer to her blush.

"T-the wine," she said, stuttering a little. "It's…it's really good."

She hadn't been expecting anything to taste so amazing. Not even the wines that her father had introduced her to when she lived under his roof had ever had such a delectable flavor to them. This one was truly special! Lucy wanted to reach out and take another sip of it but refrained with difficulty. And another thing about it was that the color was almost the exact shade of Natsu's hair. The blonde had spent a few long moments before taking a sip by staring into the glass.

"Is it?" Natsu asked, seeming to be genuinely curious. He lifted his own glass, "I'll try it now, then."

His eyebrow arched, and then he grinned and nodded to Lucy before taking another sip.

"If you want more, I'll pay for it, Luce," he said as he watched her looking into her glass. "I told you that I'd bring you here, didn't I? Tonight's all about you, Luce."

_Where had that line come from_? The blonde wondered, face alighting once more. Had Natsu been brushing up on romance movies or something? Or was the seemingly oblivious dragonslayer really that good with wooing girls?

"I-I'm fine," Lucy stumbled over her words again, catching it this time and cursing mentally. It could still be that she was the only one who saw this as a true date, at least that was how she thought, so she decided that she needed to kind of control herself. "We should look at the menu! Thom will be back in a few minutes to get our order!"

"Ack, you're right!" Natsu's eyes widened, but he was just putting on an act. He was trying to bring some of a sense of normalcy back into the situation, but she was just affecting his mind. Of course she was, he reasoned; she was a weirdo. But it wasn't just that. And the salmon-haired guy knew just what this feeling was, welling up inside of him as he tried to ignore it, maybe even push it aside–just for the time being, until he knew that Lucy would be safe–but it couldn't be helped.

To get their minds off of each other, both of the Fairy Tail mages in question reached for their respective menus and pored over them. A few times, Natsu heard Lucy exclaim something like, "Ah! They have (insert some foreign-sounding food here)!", and he kind of looked up at her before turning back to the menu. Honestly, the dragonslayer didn't know what half of the things on the menu were, let alone how to pronounce them, so he just kind of sat back while Lucy looked over her own and finally looked up, beaming, and said, "I've decided! What are you getting?"

The salmon-haired one blinked, and said to her, "I don't know what any of it even _is_."

_Way to be blunt_, he thought to himself afterwards.

"Oh! Sorry," she smiled at him. She pointed at something on the menu and described it to him, also saying that she thought he'd like it. "Does it sound okay?"

The last, Lucy added as an afterthought. Was her idea of his tastes skewed, so that she would pick the wrong thing? To be quite frank, she didn't want to scare him away by being more intelligent or anything (which, as lame as it is, had actually happened to her before), but she also didn't want him to randomly pick something he wouldn't like. She didn't want to pick _for_ him and be wrong, either, but the blonde chose to trust her knowledge of him.

Natsu made a sound of assent and smiled back at her, one of his sharp canines showing.

She thought it was kind of adorable. But then again, she'd been thinking that about a few different things concerning him for a while now.

The paper lantern above them blinked softer for a moment before getting back to its normal state, a warning that Thom, the waiter, had already explained to mean he was on his way to the table. It was a feeble, but probably somewhat effective way to alert the more affectionate couples that they were about to be intruded upon. Lucy couldn't decide whether it was to prevent embarrassment on behalf of the customers or to prevent mentally scarring images from being presented to the servers, so she settled on a possible combination of the two.

And then the thought of her in a _mentally scarring_ image with Natsu popped into her mind, and she wanted to crawl in a hole and just _die_, because her face lit up like a fireworks show and the person across from her had to have noticed it.

"Have you had enough time to decide on your meal?" Thom asked, sweeping one of the elegant curtains aside.

With a glance at Natsu, Lucy smiled at the server and said, "Yes!" before ordering her own, and then ordering for the dragonslayer as well.

_Isn't that supposed to be my job…?_ Natsu wondered for a moment. The thought was disregarded though, because if it had been up to him they'd probably be getting eel guts and sheep brain or some weird combination like it. And the blonde looked like she was having fun saying those complicated things, and then answering a question Thom asked about the aforementioned complicated things, so the fire mage let her enjoy herself. He settled for just watching her expression change and smiling softly to himself.

* * *

><p>"I wonder how Lucy's date with Natsu is going?" Mirajane mused, chin in hand and gazing out across the guild as she had been for the last hour. The 'Demon' had been in such an entranced, dazed sort of state since she had ushered Lucy out with Levy and Lisanna and Natsu out with Gray and Elfman that she was completely blind to her duties as the barmaid. Lisanna and the others had since returned, the younger white-haired girl taking over for her older sister, though she was no less curious.<p>

"I don't know," said Gray, lounging (shirtless) at the bar with a cold drink. "D'you think he's screwed it up yet?"

"It wouldn't be the manly thing to do!" cried Elfman in unison with Levy's, "Lu-chan would kill him if he ruined this for her!"

Bisca giggled a little to herself at their antics and downing her shot before sliding off of her stool and calling, "I'm going home for tonight!"

Mira, Levy, Gray, and Elfman were to preoccupied with thinking about the date between two of the family's densest members to say anything, but Lisanna waved a hand at her and said, "Be safe, Bisca! See you tomorrow!"

The cowgirl raised a hand in farewell, not noticing her teammate scrambling up from his seat until he was beside her and opening the door for her. Alzack smiled at her, almost a little embarrassedly, and fell in step beside her as she walked back to her abode.

"I'll walk with you," he said.

She thought his protectiveness was cute, and the matchmaker Mirajane had taken notice of _that_ little encounter just as the door to the guild fell shut. The woman let herself smile at the seemingly growing closeness between the two gun mages before once more reverting to her daydreaming about Natsu and Lucy and how their date was going.

Lisanna noticed this change in her sister and sighed, shaking her head, but with a smile on her lips.

* * *

><p>Cana Alberona, having long abandoned Lucy's apartment for her own abode, paced back and forth across her living room floor, not sparing a glance for the deck of cards laying, so far untouched, upon the glass tabletop. She was doing her best to calm herself, trying to ignore the sinking suspicions she felt deep inside. Still, her hands shook just a little and she clenched them at her sides, attempting to stop the trembling, but in vain. After having paced for the last hour and a half, since leaving the celestial mage's apartment, she accepted the fact that she wasn't going to get her nerves to disappear this way.<p>

Slowly, the brunette card mage made her way over to the table. She opted to sit on the floor rather than on the sofa, and reached for her cards.

"One more time," Cana said to herself, her words hanging in the still air of her empty home.

She flipped the first card.

* * *

><p>Lucy was enjoying herself. Completely.<p>

Really, she thought it should have been illegal to have food _this good_. And to be in Natsu's company while eating it was just a plus in the blonde's eyes. She'd liked him for a while, and she hoped she wasn't being too obvious, but she had been giggling at a few things he said. To be fair, he'd laughed at some of what she had said, too, but she wasn't sure whether it was because he liked her back, or whether he just thought she was being a weirdo.

"Luce, you've got something right there," Natsu gestured awkwardly and she looked at him in confusion, pulling herself out of her thoughts in order to focus on the dragonslayer. He sighed at her quirked eyebrow and reached forward with his right hand. The palm hit her cheek, and she kind of stiffened a little as he made to wipe whatever it was away with his thumb.

Natsu changed his intentions just as he placed his thumb beside the little drop of whipped topping. He couldn't resist anymore. Really, though, he'd made it all the way through dinner and halfway through dessert, and that little dab of her cake's topping at the corner of her mouth just made him give in. The plan was set in motion when he leaned forward and _licked_ the sweet substance from her face. He heard her breath hitch, and leaned back just a little to look in her eyes. They were wide, her cheeks a bright, bright red, but she didn't give him any indication that she would refuse him.

The salmon-haired man knew he wasn't usually like this, wasn't so forward, but he had to take this chance now that it had presented itself. So his other hand came up to her other cheek so that he was holding her face between his two large, warm, and callused hands. An inch closer, then two, and then their breath was intermingled, and then there was no space at all between them. One of her soft, delicate hands came to rest on his neck, the other upon one of his own hands. Lucy's touch, and the pressure with which she kissed him back, proved to him that he'd not crossed the line in his moment of weakness, and for that he was glad. Natsu let himself enjoy the feeling of her lips under his, tasting the raspberries from on top of her cake, and the whipped cream, as well as some sort of fruit flavored lip gloss. Her fingers curled around his gently as he took the last few seconds before his air supply ran out to kiss her harder.

That accursed need to breathe drove their lips to part, but he moved neither of his hands, and hers remained where they were as well.

"W-we're in a public restaurant, Natsu," she chided, but they both knew there was no true irritation in her words.

"We're in a private booth," was the dragonslayer's retort as he cast a pointed glance on the neatly drawn curtain. To prove his point, or maybe just in order to do so, he pulled her face nearer to his and leaned the rest of the way in, making their lips meet in a quick, chaste kiss. Again, Lucy put up no resistance and just melted under his touch.

Is _this_ what he'd been missing?

_Damn,_ he was dense.

* * *

><p>"The Lovers," Cana voiced aloud as she lay the card down on the table.<p>

Something flashed through her mind's eye, so fleeting she didn't know if she had interpreted it right or not.

_A couple, hands intertwined, stopped in the street. After a brief pause, where no words were spoken, the taller of the two–the man–leaned in to kiss the girl. One hand cupped her cheek, the other disentangling itself from hers to rest on her upper arm, pulling her closer. Her hands came to rest on his chest, one slowly trailing to end up on the hand caressing her cheek._

Cana blinked, shaking her head.

"What was that about?" she asked herself, reaching for the next card.

* * *

><p>Natsu took Lucy's hand in his own without asking, and the gentle, quick squeeze his fingers received reassured him that it was all right. He helped her to stand, and the blonde smiled, almost shyly, up at him. Thom was there to lead them to the desk on the way out, leaving the man there with the couple's check before wishing the two well and going off to his next table. The salmon-haired man pulled out his seemingly well endowed wallet as the man behind the counter rattled off the pricey number. Natsu didn't protest anything, despite the high cost, and placed every single cent, and a little more, in front of the host.<p>

"I hope you found your evening enjoyable?" he asked politely as he began to recount Natsu's money. "And I hope you found everything to your liking."

The blonde celestial mage opened her mouth to answer, but paused and glanced at Natsu. He gestured for her to go on, giving her hand a squeeze. She smiled at him, before turning the grin on the man behind the desk.

"Everything was wonderful," she said, the gentle yet bright expression on her delicate features making her male companion watch the reaction of the other closely.

He wouldn't say it aloud, but the fact that her cheeks had a bit more of a healthy tint to them than they had for the last few days was a comfort to him. Perhaps it didn't completely remedy the discomfort that he harbored in his chest, and that lingered in the guild for those days, but it was a start. His Luce was coming back; the cheerful, smiling girl that he was fast falling for. Or maybe he'd already fallen?

It was one of those stupid, cheesy thoughts that he'd always made fun of Loke for, yet one glance at the beauty to his right solidified the idea; he was already enamored by her.

"I'm glad the meal pleased you," the host was saying to Lucy. Natsu tried to focus on the conversation at hand. "Was the service also acceptable?"

"It was just fine!" Lucy told him, still smiling. "Perfectly fine! Everything was done in a very timely manner."

The host handed Natsu his change and smiled as he replied, "That's great to hear! I hope the rest of your evening is just as lovely!"

"Thank you," the blonde said sincerely, and Natsu took the jewels that had been returned to him and dropped it all in the tip jar with Thom's name on it. He nodded to the man behind the desk and he tucked his wallet back in his pocket as Lucy gently tugged him to the doors. He fell in step with her immediately.

"Good night!" she called cheerfully back, waving as the host returned her words with a chuckle. He probably didn't get bid a good night very often, because snobs were probably the only customers they got. Lucy then squeezed the hand holding hers and turned her bright smile upon Natsu, and she could feel a blush blossoming across her cheeks.

The celestial mage averted her gaze, but slid a little nearer to Natsu's side as they walked. Her emotions were a wild rollercoaster right now, and she obviously had to be along for the ride. Half the time, she didn't know what to feel, but she always knew the feeling she had. It was growing, too, and she was kind of worried about what Natsu would think if she told him. Was his acceptance of this little outing as a 'date' just a one time thing, or did he really mean it? The kisses would hint at the date meaning something, and she didn't think he would just play with her like that anyway. But Lucy was scared, and her heart was unstable. All of her unease as of late had tainted the rest of her thoughts with doubt.

All of them, she realized, except for those of Natsu. Because she noticed that her doubts of him were completely ungrounded, and she discarded them as well as she could. They were still lingering in the back of her mind, but she wouldn't focus on them.

As she had been thinking about this, they had turned onto a side street, and she allowed herself to look back up at him. The blush that had been disappearing got deeper when her eyes lit upon his lips–_those soft, warm lips_–and the memory of his kisses ghosted across her mind. The warmth of his larger hands on her cheeks, and the tingling feeling that had burst to life in her stomach…Lucy resisted the urge to reach up with her free hand and trace his mouth. It took more effort than it should have to pull her eyes from his lips but she did so, turning to gaze up into his. Her breath caught, not for the first time that night, at the look in his eyes and the smile that spread across his features. It was unlike his usual, childishly adorable smile, making the blonde's heartbeat erratic and her cheeks burn even hotter than they already were.

"Luce," Natsu couldn't help but say her name. they had come to a halt in the street and he was completely aware of the stare she'd directed at his lips. He let his own eyes turn to hers, the mouth that had been so soft under his own. By the deepening of the red on her cheeks, he knew that she'd realized what his eyes had lit upon. The dragonslayer let himself reach up and touch her cheek with his free hand. Lucy unconsciously leaned into the contact, looking so serene that he knew, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he had truly fallen for the blonde angel. And it wasn't just something that had started when he had accepted this outing as a date, but had been there from the very beginning and he had just taken a while to realize it all.

Even if she didn't know exactly what was going through his mind, Lucy could see that the look in his eyes had changed. She felt that it was more tender than usual, and her heard thumped wildly against her ribs.

It was then that their intertwined hands broke contact only for Natsu to run his hand up to rest on her upper arm and pull her nearer. Her hands came up, falling on his chest. Almost as an afterthought, she ran one of them along his arm to let it rest on the hand that cupped her face. After searching her eyes for a few long seconds, Natsu closed the gap and met with no resistance. His hot, hungry mouth covered her soft, sweet one in a touch that evoked an eruption of emotions that neither would try to express in words.

The two Fairy tail mages drew back from each other, and the thoughts that crossed Lucy's mind almost embarrassed her. Her already red cheeks had to have become even more so. Really, though, couldn't she blame that smoldering look in Natsu's eyes? She just wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, shove him against the wall of the warehouse behind him, and kiss every inch of the dragonslayer that she could reach. It mortified her to feel so…so violently affectionate, yet a small part of her whispered, _Natsu would like that, though, wouldn't he?_

She wanted to smother him in kisses, until both of them had kiss bruised lips and he had little circular bruises up and down his tanned neck, but she refrained and just peered innocently up at him. Or as innocently as she could, with such thoughts running through her head.

Natsu, for his part, was thinking similar thoughts. There was a very conveniently placed building behind her, windows and everything boarded up so no one would be disturbed if he slid an arm around her waist and backed her up against it, putting the other arm on the wall above her. But he, for once, was thinking through the situation rationally and told himself that, despite how much he wanted to or how he thought she'd follow along with it, it was too soon in this relationship for something quite like that. Perhaps it was even too soon for kissing, since it was only the first date and all and some girls are weird about things like that, but he knew that they had something. The dragonslayer knew that there was something there between himself and the celestial mage, and he didn't want to risk losing her before they explored exactly what that _something_ could be.

Despite his desires, Natsu looked down at her just as she turned her face back up to his, a shy look on her blazing red features. The salmon-haired man slowly leaned in, to gauge how she'd react, and he didn't hesitate anymore when her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head, leaning up some. He closed the distance. He knew, just as she did, that there was no need to say anything; they both knew that _this_, whatever it was turning out to be, had changed their relationship. Taken it to the next level, even. And neither would deny that it felt kind of right to them.

As cliché as it all seemed to Lucy, she couldn't suppress the thought that kissing him was all she'd ever dreamed it would be, and more. But as all good things do, it came to an end. This end, however, wasn't a sweet one, where the two lovers stared into each other's eyes for long moments on end. This was a forced parting, caused by hands groping in the dark from behind and yanking the two away from each other.

At first, both Natsu and Lucy thought that the other had suddenly pushed them roughly away, but upon opening their eyes they knew differently. Half a dozen little, disfigured men surrounded them and were to be blamed.

"What the–?" Lucy gasped out, obviously a little shocked and disgusted as she tried, in vain, to struggle from the grasp of the two who held her.

"Luce!" Natsu reached for her as her captors pulled her farther away from him. Whatever was happening, the dragonslayer didn't like it. Just the fact that these grotesque little minions dared to _touch_ her when he was there infuriated him, and he tossed one of his four assailants aside with a swipe of his arm, hand alight in flame. Before he could shake the others, some sort of weird metal clasped around that wrist, courtesy of another of the little men, and the flames died out.

"Get off of me!" he growled, turning and calling, "Lucy!" again. She continued to say his name, her chocolate eyes wide with worry for the man she'd fallen for. Her struggle was futile, just as his was turning out to be.

While Natsu looked at Lucy, who was a good ten feet away, another metal band snapped onto his free wrist, but he paid it no heed until he lunged toward the blonde and overbalanced. The dragonslayer collapsed to his knees, drained of energy, and cursed.

"Natsu!" Lucy called, struggling to get free even though it was a fruitless effort. "Nat–ngh!"

"Luce!" Natsu tried to get to his feet but only succeeded in making himself dizzy. A fleeting thought crossing the back of his mind blamed the cuffs on his wrists, but he couldn't care less at the moment. The blonde celestial mage had slumped, unconscious, between the two who were holding her, and another went to assist them in dragging her away. "Lucy!"

He couldn't bear this! Why was he so weak?

The salmon-haired man opened his mouth to shout, to get _someone's_ attention because _someone_ just _had_ to save Lucy since he couldn't, but there was a sharp pain in the back of his head accompanied by the thud of a dull impact, and he sprawled forward on the ground, a bit of blood trailing down his neck.

* * *

><p>"<em>Now it begins!" a voice cackled, and the evil man stood. His entire being was thrown into the light, showing a tall man with a lean, almost feminine face. Silvery blue hair fell just barely past his shoulders without a single wave or kink, extremely well kept. Familiar ice blue eyes with catlike pupils glinted in the dim light from the surveillance lacrima, a sneer twisting his thin lips. The silky shirt he wore was cut in a v-neck, with elegant trim, and was an indiscernible dark hue, tucking into his dark blue pants. The pants were kind of tight, and tucked into shiny new black boots. Over it all he wore a long open robe, deep purple and iridescent. It shimmered less like cloth and more like water, or some expensive gem. His fingers were adorned with six or seven expensive rings of varying size, a few with magical properties, and he wore a thick-chained necklace.<em>

_Such wealth, such power, leading to a desire for even more power. Such is the way of things._

_He turned and left the room with a self-satisfied air, the lacrima showing the girl being dragged nearer to the lair._

* * *

><p><strong>So it begins.<strong>

**I don't think the kidnapping scene turned out as good as I had planned, but please forgive me! I was rushing just a little to get it done.**

**Anyway, like I said above, 3 days ago was my 18****th**** birthday, so even if it's the only time you ever do, will you review? For me? (If you read Until She's Home Again, I asked the same over there. XD)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, sorry for the wait. I was trying to power through the writer's block on USHA, but it took forever, and then I hit writer's block on this, so I hope it's okay. Oh, it's Good? That's great.**

**This is sooooooooo far overdue. I'm SORRRYYYYY! :( And it's a little shorter than usual (though last chapter was a LOT longer) so please forgive me!**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed! It keeps me going. Haha.**

**On to A Fairy's Blood chapter 7, then! **

* * *

><p>Fairy Tail was quiet without Natsu there to be fighting Gray, or Gajeel, or any other guy who was itching for a fight with the dragonslayer. The calm was lethargic, and many of the guild members were considering getting up and leaving for the night. Some of them, like Macao and Wakaba, tossed that thought aside and ordered another beer, whereas people like Nab just dropped their heads on the table, too lazy to leave even when they knew they should.<p>

Mirajane was happily cleaning a glass, talking with Lisanna, Juvia, Levy, Wendy, Charle, Happy, and Erza. They were trying to cheer Charle up by telling her about finally succeeding in getting Natsu and Lucy to go on a date. Erza didn't know why _that_ would cheer the Exceed up, but she didn't voice it aloud and merely dug into her cake.

All in all, it was a relatively silent night at the guild.

That silence, however, was broken when the doors were roughly shoved open, a loud bang ringing as they were flung back against the wall. Standing there, panting and soaked from the rain that no one had realized was falling, was Cana Alberona. Her brown hair stuck to her cheeks and shoulders, but she didn't seem to mind. She strode a few steps in quickly and purposefully, looking around with a hand of cards clutched in her hands.

"Cana, welcome ba–" Mira began, but was cut off.

"Where are they?" the card mage asked, and the girls at the counter were shocked to find her eyes wide with a wild urgency. "Where are Natsu and Lucy?"

"Th-they went on a date," Lisanna supplied, worried about Cana's actions.

If the guild was already wary about how the brunette was acting, the way the color drained instantly from her cheeks was even worse to those paying attention. Her mouth worked, no words coming out, and then she clenched her free hand and closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. It was as if the woman was steeling herself for something.

"We need to find them. Now."

Her voice shook, and she looked up with unhidden fear in her eyes, right at Mira.

"What's wrong, Cana?" the white-haired woman said, plunking the glass down on the countertop immediately and discarding her apron. The other women had already surged to their feet at the look as Mirajane made her way out from behind the bar. "What is it? Did you finally get a reading?"

"I did," Cana answered, "and none of it's good."

The pointed glance at Charle was only fully understood by the white feline herself.

"_No_!" Charle's exclamation surprised the rest of the guild members and she scrambled to her feet and flew over to Cana with all haste. "No! Not–not _Lucy_? And _Natsu_?"

Most of Fairy Tail was still in the dark about the details of Charle's vision, but those who had been filled in froze instantly and focused their full attention on the scene that was unfolding. Blood ran cold at the stiff nod that their resident, beer-guzzling woman gave the feline. Mira's already pale features went even paler, and she raised her voice to encompass the entire guild.

"Everyone, we need to find Natsu and Lucy as soon as possible! If we don't, they could be in danger! Please!"

At the threat of possible danger to a member of the Fairy Tail family, everyone surged to their feet. Gajeel even stood, though slower than the rest. None of them would let anything break apart their ties to each other, and it was undeniable that the two mages in question were very integral parts of the family they'd formed. Mira was relieved that they'd move so quickly.

"Warren, stay here, won't you? So if someone finds them they can come back and you can tell everyone. All right?"

"Yeah," the mage who had been addressed nodded, sitting back down.

"Let's go, everyone," Cana said, and was the first to head back out into the pouring rain from whence she had just come.

* * *

><p>Lucy's head was pounding furiously, and it was as if she could hear her pulse. Which, she amended, was probably true. Everything was throbbing, and a spot on her neck where she knew a pressure point was gave off a curious ache. She couldn't remember what she'd been doing, and at the moment didn't care. The fuzziness in her head was annoying her, and she spent a few moments trying to dispel it. Finally, she got a little irritated and went to move her arm, only to find out she couldn't. Cold metal encased her wrist, and fear froze her chest.<p>

Brown eyes were revealed as she lifted her lids and looked down. Dim light revealed a stone floor, and she realized that her legs were cramped underneath her. Her purple dress was tangled around her legs somewhat, but billowed out around her when it wasn't. Lucy Heartfilia turned her gaze to her wrists to find herself shackled against a wall firmly, so that when she twisted her arms the only thing she did was cut herself a little on her right hand, by her Fairy Tail emblem. Her dread from the previous days had really been of importance, and she had just ignored it. She'd agreed with the others that it was probably just a passing phase, and where had it landed her?

And it hit her then.

"Natsu!" she gasped, searching the cell–for that's what it was–frantically for any sign of the salmon-haired man with whom she'd been on a date with. When she could see no sign of him, she didn't know whether to despair (was he dead?) or whether to be relieved. She chose to be relieved, because if he was not here it meant that he would not meet the same fate as she. And Lucy felt that her fate might be worse than just a quick death, or even a death in battle. As a Fairy Tail mage, she'd actually prefer death in battle to any other way to go.

The blonde had completely missed the footsteps until a voice asked her, drawling, "So you're finally awake, Miss Heartfilia."

* * *

><p>Even despite their best efforts, nothing was turning up. Mira was worried about the franticness of Cana's searching, and also worried about the two in question. She and Cana had searched Lucy's apartment to no avail, and had went to Natsu's house and run into Happy and Charle and Wendy doing the same. Soon after, Gajeel and Pantherlily with team Shadowgear in tow showed up at the same place, then with nods, turned and went to search somewhere else.<p>

They passed Elfman with Evergreen, turning up a random alley. Evergreen was trying to calm Mira's frantic brother, and the white-haired woman thought that maybe, just maybe, they would be a good couple after all, despite that trick in the catastrophe that had been an S-class exam. A few moments later, running along the canal, they spotted Happy and Lisanna, teamed up with Fried and Bixlow. The group of four was running the opposite direction on the other side of the canal. Mira caught Fried's eye and they shared a nod before the white-haired woman followed Cana into an alley.

"Cana," Mira finally decided to ask, "why are you checking so many alleyways?"

"It's a long story," she said shortly, "there's no time!"

Mirajane hoped that there was still time, but she didn't say that out loud. It would only make the brunette more frantic.

* * *

><p>The man standing above Lucy was tall, taller than Natsu or Gray or even Gajeel. He had long silver-blue hair that fell just past his shoulders. The man was lean and leered down through frightening eyes; the blonde was freaked out by the icy blue orbs that had catlike slits for pupils. She felt as though he was looking right into her soul, staring and staring and just acting as though he wanted to rip out her heart and eat it.<p>

Aside from this impression of him, she could tell that he had been gifted (or cursed?) with money. His clothes were a very expensive type of material. He wore a dark v-neck shirt; she couldn't see the color in the gloom. The trim had intricate designs, and had she not been in her current position she might have tried to see just what origin they were. The shirt tucked into dark pants. The celestial mage thought they were black, but they could have just as easily been dark blue, and they tucked into shiny black boots that looked brand new. These boots had three silver buckles up the outside, and the belt he wore matched the boots. He wore an open robe that fell almost to his ankles and was had a silvery sheen to it. He was adorned with various jewelry, including at least three or four rings for each hand and a necklace with a thick chain. Much of the jewelry was gold, but some was silver.

"What do you want?" Lucy asked after her examination of her captor, holding her chin up as bravely as she could manage. Those cold eyes unnerved her deeply, and she didn't want to meet them but she forced herself to.

"What do I want…?" he repeated, grinning down at her in a feral manner. "Why, I wanted _you_, Miss Heartfilia."

"Why?" Lucy asked, projecting her voice loudly enough that it echoed in her cell. "For what purpose?"

Sometimes she wanted to hit herself for being so formal, but it was in her blood. She was raised as a pampered princess and it just could not be stamped out. Not only that, but she was a writer, and as a writer she learned to phrase things eloquently in writing and sometimes voiced her character's lines aloud to get a better feel for the line. So it was only natural that, faced with a situation only heroines in a book were usually subjected to, she would spout one of those lines.

"My purpose is my own," he replied cryptically, smirking.

Oh, how that smirk incensed her, and by the fact that this expression spread across his face she knew that he could tell. Her eyebrows lowered and her eyes narrowed. Her careful scrutiny had not been enough to show her what he did now, pulling back the left side of his open-front robe.

"Do you see this?" he spoke up now, fingering the delicately made hilt. Lucy couldn't even begin to fathom how someone could put so much detail into just the hilt, but then there was the sheath! It looked metal, the same as the hilt, and was covered in intricate designs that swooped and looped and intertwined…it was gorgeous, but she got a bad vibe from it. "This dagger is a very important tool in a ceremony that will take place at the stroke of midnight."

"What ceremony is that?"

Lucy couldn't help it; her voice shook. She had a dreadful suspicion that _she_ was involved in the ceremony mentioned, and that the dagger was going to have something to do with her. Was she going to be a sacrifice to resurrect some unholy god? She shuddered when the silver-haired man smirked again and leaned down to her height, his breath fanning across her face.

"Wouldn't you like to know, my dear?"

* * *

><p>Cana turned into another alley, breathing heavily, and cursed as she nearly tripped over some poor sot's discarded beer bottle. She didn't even think about her lack of alcohol today; the only thing on her mind was finding Natsu and Lucy, and finding them <em>fast<em>. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and the full force of her visions came back to her, staggering her for a moment as Mira struggled to catch up.

* * *

><p>"<em>The Lovers," the brunette mused as she sat the card before her. As she looked contemplatively at it, her vision morphed and swirled and a new scene was before her.<em>

_A couple stood in a narrow alleyway with their hands intertwined. They stopped and turned to face each other. Neither one of them said a word, and the young man leaned down to press his lips against the girl's. He cupped her cheek with one hand and pulled his fingers from hers in order to place his hand upon her arm and draw her nearer. She held the hand on her cheek with one of her own, her other pale, slim-fingered hand coming to rest on his chest. Their kiss was meaningful but short and sweet, and the two broke apart. The next several moments were spent with the two staring at each other, as if sizing their partner up. _

_The girl looked down, deeply flushed, but looked back up after a few moments. The young man smiled down at him, and Cana thought there was something familiar about the way his canine teeth were a little larger than average._

_The two in the vision were clearly shown to her when they leaned in for another kiss. As the two clung to each other, the brunette didn't know whether to be completely shocked, just a little surprised, or embarrassed to be witnessing the scene in front of her. Completely shocked didn't seem right, as she and most of the guild had been just waiting for this to happen, but she hadn't even had a whiff of their relationship already having begun, and she didn't know that they were on their first date at the moment. _

_Cana settled on being embarrassed at watching her two guild mates, Natsu and Lucy, being all like a couple and kissing in alleyways, but it was a vision and she could not look away._

_A skittering that neither of the couple heard seemed deafening in her ears, and though the card mage hoped it was a rat, she didn't think it was the case. A strong sense of foreboding seeped into her, and she wanted to call out to them. She wanted to tell them to run and not look back, but she couldn't. And then she just wanted to scream as an ugly, disfigured little person came out of the shadows in front of her vantage point, creeping toward the two who were ignorant of his presence. And three more came from behind Lucy. Two more still came out nearer to Cana and to Natsu._

"_No!" Cana's voice rang out, but not for her comrades to hear. They were pulled roughly apart and in a daze, Lucy was dragged a few feet away before she could realize what was happening. They reached for each other and called out, and a metal band was snapped onto Natsu's wrist. Another went onto his other wrist. Cana knew immediately as Natsu tipped over when he tried to lunge for the blonde that they were draining his magic power and his strength. He tumbled to the ground yet still called out for Lucy._

_His cry was even louder when the celestial mage slumped between two of her captors, senseless from the blow that had knocked her unconscious._

_Cana saw the blow to the back of Natsu's head even before it had happened, and she wanted to pull away from the vision immediately to go find them and save Lucy, or stop all of this before it happened, but she couldn't move until after the pink-haired dragonslayer had slumped to the ground and all the ominous little men and women had disappeared into the dusk._

_It was then that she remembered Charle's vision, and noted what color Lucy's dress had been._

* * *

><p>"Cana…?" Mirajane had caught up to her. "Cana, are you all right?"<p>

The card mage knew that she must be a wreck. A pale, clammy, shaking, exhausted, yet determined wreck.

"We have to find them soon," said the brunette, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. The white-haired Mira nodded in agreement. She then had to start chasing after Cana again, because the impatient and desperate woman had taken off running once more, almost as if the devil was on her heels.

* * *

><p><em>Lu-chan<em>! Levy screamed desperately in her head, stumbling from the lack of oxygen. She'd been running so hard that she hadn't taken the time to breathe properly.

"Levy!" two voices said in unison, but the blue-haired girl waved her teammates off impatiently.

"Bookworm just needs to catch her breath," the voice of the ever-intimidating Gajeel spoke, and Levy nodded in the hopes that her teammates would see and understand. They might not trust the dragonslayer at all, but since she was agreeing, they might step back and give her room to breathe. It was a feeble hope, since Jet and Droy were like her very own two man fan club, but it turned out to be perfectly reasonable as their light touch on her shoulders disappeared and she bent over, hands on her knees, to pull in the much needed air. She heard her two teammates verbally abusing the iron dragonslayer for calling her a bookworm, but she really didn't find anything about the name offensive at all; it was the truth. And why were her teammates wasting their breath on such a foolish thing when they should be trying to think of places they hadn't already been in their search for Lucy and Natsu?

_Lu-chan_, she thought fervently,_ please be all right!_

* * *

><p>Master Makarov stood atop one of the tallest buildings in Magnolia, searching with his eyes for the two of his 'children' that Mira had come to speak to him about. He could see no sign of the vivacious (sexy) blonde 'daughter' or the impulsive and rash pink-haired 'son'. The master's wrinkled brow was furrowed in thought and worry and many other things.<p>

He was not too young; he recalled the disappearances of blondes seventy-five years ago. A Zeref-worshipping group had arisen in Magnolia and it was widely believed that they were responsible for the several blonde women who went missing and were never found alive. Their motives could only be speculated but never proven, just like their guilt. Somehow, Master Makarov had feared some occurrence like this since Lucy had joined the guild. He didn't know why he worried so much for her, but it stemmed from the rumor that the Zeref worshippers were searching for a certain blonde with 'fairy blood'.

Makarov was unsure whether it meant 'fairy' as in a member of his guild or whether it meant the blood of a real fairy. Either way, it was possible for Lucy to be in that category. Her grace and composure and beauty were all fairy-like.

Such concern had never made deeper furrows on his features than this.

* * *

><p>"This was the restaurant Lucy wanted to go to," Mira told Cana quickly as they passed it. "Should we check the alleys around here?"<p>

"Yes," Cana said stiffly, then snapped, "why didn't you mention it earlier?"

Mira wasn't affronted by the rudeness; she knew Cana was just worried for their nakama. Everyone was. The Fairy Tail family was never comfortable when one or more of their own were threatened, and they were not likely to just lay down and let the enemy have their way. It just wasn't how things were done.

Cana was still going down the street and the takeover mage followed her brunette companion without a word. The card mage in question stopped at the entrance to an alley a little ways down and peered up it. The white-haired woman didn't like the rigidity of Cana's stance as she froze up, staring down the alleyway. Color drained from her face, and Mira's heart began to drop. She was nearly to the alcoholic when she heard her breathe, "_No_!" and dart down the slim street.

When Mira reached the point where Cana had stood, she immediately saw what the other woman had seen. There was a prone shape laying upon the ground, unmoving, about halfway between this street and the one that the alley connected. In the dim light cast by a streetlamp, Mira would have sworn that she spied pink locks, and she bolted after the card mage with all the speed she could muster. The thought running through her head repeatedly was, _where is Lucy?_ because it was obvious that the voluptuous blonde wasn't laying nearby.

"Natsu!" Cana shouted, dropping down on her knees and reaching down to dip her fingers into a pool of red, sticky blood that dripped from the back of the dragonslayer's head. Mira dropped down on Natsu's other side and reached gentle fingers up to probe for the wound in his blood-slicked hair. The touch of her thin, pale fingers on the wound made the young man groan and move just slightly. Relief flooded both women, and Cana drew a card to shed some light on the area. Then she sent up a flare.

"Natsu, wake up," Mira coaxed gently. "Natsu, we need you to wake up!"

He groaned and Cana slid off her jacket, folding it and laying it on the ground. The two women then rolled him over and placed his head on the jacket as Mira continued trying to make him wake. Running footsteps were heard and Levy's group came into view.

"Go tell Warren to send the message that we found Natsu unconscious," Cana's voice shook, and tears glistened on her cheeks. "And have him tell everyone that we need to find Lucy _now_."

Levy's eyes were wide and fearful, and she nodded at Cana's orders and rushed off with Gajeel, Jet, Droy, and Pantherlily on her tail. Behind her, the brunette heard the fire mage let out another groan, this one more prolonged. He was coming around.

"Lucy…" Cana whispered fearfully, furiously wiping her tears away and going to help Mira.

* * *

><p>"Blood?" Lucy asked, frightened, as she looked at the wickedly sharp blade that the silver-haired man was showing her. "Why? What's so important about <em>my<em> blood?"

She couldn't even kid herself anymore. For the first hour of long silences and short conversations while this strange man watched her like a hawk she had tried to say she wasn't afraid of him. She was adamantly in denial. She would not show fear; he was like a wild animal and would feed on that. The blonde had no doubt that he would feed on her fear like an animal, but she could no longer hide that he frightened her. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as he leaned nearer, sneering, with that sharp, glistening blade in front of him. He'd just explained that he needed her blood; he hadn't said why or what for. He had just explained that they needed to use the ceremonial dagger he held to slit her wrists.

She knew she was going to die.

"Let's just say…" the man finally decided to answer, pulling back and sheathing that accursed dagger. "…that your blood has some very unique qualities."

And with that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Lucy shuddered, huddling into herself for whatever comfort her condemned body could offer her tortured mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa, I'm so sorry for the wait! And this didn't turn out like I wanted it to, but it's better than I thought it was going to be since the writer's block had hit. So, anyway, I apologize for the wait and I hope you liked it! Haha.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my pets! **

**It seems like it's been too long.**

**So first off, I DON'T OWN anything but the plot and my bad guys. (It's been a while since I did a disclaimer…I think.)**

**Now, I hope you're ready for AFB chapter 8, because it…is here. Haha.**

* * *

><p>Five minutes had passed since Mira had started her attempts to rouse the injured Salamander, but still he hadn't opened his eyes. And then another five minutes had passed, bringing the total up to ten minutes. Cana paced fretfully back and forth, trying to think of something <em>anything<em> that she could say to make him wake faster. And then it hit her, like a bolt of lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm. She stopped pacing abruptly and turned, walking toward where Mira knelt by Natsu and, to Mira's surprise, lifted the unconscious man by his collar.

"Cana !"

"Natsu!" the brunette shouted in his face. "Natsu Dragneel! You son of a bitch! Wake up!"

"Cana!" Mirajane protested, trying to take a step toward her.

"Wake up _now_ or _Lucy_ is gonna _die_!"

His flailing limb nearly caught Cana in the nose and surely would have broken it if it had. She let go of his collar and he crumpled to the ground, blinking dazedly for a moment before stumbling back to his feet. He had an almost manic look in his eyes.

"Where is she?" He asked, his voice cracking hoarsely. "_Where is Lucy_?"

"Natsu!"

Mira and Cana both caught an arm as he nearly tumbled down, and then the card mage realized that Natsu was struggling with a strange metal cuff on his arms. There was one on both of his wrists.

"Mira, help him…" Cana said as she reached her free hand the one that wasn't holding Natsu up to mess with the cuff on her side. Mirajane noticed what Cana was doing and started to do the same. Natsu's breathing was heavy, almost laborious as he sagged more on Cana than on Mira. The brunette didn't mind at the moment. If she could just get these cuffs off of him, she knew he'd be stronger again. Strong enough to lead the way to wherever Lucy was.

* * *

><p>Lucy didn't know how long it had been since that man had left her alone, but it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. All that she really knew right now was that it was eerily quiet, and she really didn't like it. She wanted the familiar hustle and bustle of Magnolia's streets, or the warmth of Natsu laying beside her in her bed as he often did (even before the connection they had shared on their date), or even the senseless cacophony that was Fairy Tail. And yet…she had the feeling that she'd never get to be a part of it all again.<p>

Were these her last seconds? Minutes? Hours? Were these her last moments to live? The thoughts were horrible, depressing, and yet she was more saddened by the face that she wouldn't get to say goodbye, and that she was going to die for some unknown cause rather than having died protecting her nakama. She would much rather die while protecting her nakama Lucy had decided as much long ago, at Tenrou Island. But this…

"I'm sorry," she choked out, the softly spoken words echoing just slightly in the empty room.

If this really was the end of her life, Lucy knew she'd die with so many regrets. She'd never get the chance to see what was there between her pink-haired dragonslayer, she'd never get married, and she'd never have kids to carry on her lineage.

Was her life really worth so little that she could lose it just when good things were about to begin for her?

* * *

><p><em>Cackles rang throughout the room as the minions watched the white-haired woman and the brunette struggle with the magic and strength draining bands they'd placed around the dragonslayer's wrists. The six who had gone to acquire the girl had returned a while ago, after being congratulated by their master, and were sneering at the foolish Fairy Tail mages. There were various scenes unfolding in different sections of this surveillance lacrima now. One of the cleverer disfigured henchwomen, Brunhilda had managed to link it to a few smaller lacrima so they could watch what various groups were doing. The group led primarily by a petite blue-haired woman and the large, black-haired dragonslayer were leaving the guild after telling the telepathic mage to spread the news. Other groups, like the two gun mages, were freezing as the message was relayed and then redoubling their search efforts.<em>

"_They look like ants," laughed Hall._

"_Yes," agreed Undin, malevolently smirking. "Yes, like frightened ants ready for the slaughter."_

"_Surely," said the whispery voice of a feminine person, "Surely Lord Icarus will let us have some fun with these flies?"_

"_You can have all the fun you like with them, Verna, so long as the dragonslayer is mine," came the voice of their master. The one called Verna let a menacing smile grace her lips._

"_Many thanks, Master Icarus," she said, bowing low. The silver-haired man grinned just as menacingly in return, striding through the waves of his minions to perch on his throne-like chair to observe the lacrima._

* * *

><p>"Icarus!"<p>

Gajeel, Jet, Droy, and Pantherlily all stopped in their tracks, looking at the blue-haired solid script mage who had stopped in hers. A hand flew to her head and she looked up at Gajeel with wide, worried eyes. The tone of her voice made the four males wary, and the only one to take a step toward the girl was the scariest of them.

"_Icarus_!" she repeated, insistently, as though it was something the iron dragonslayer should understand. Her shaking hands grabbed two handfuls of his shirt and she repeated, "Icarus!" again. She was starting to scare him, and he didn't like to be scared. And so he reacted in the least violent way he knew how.

"What the hell is up with you, bookworm?" he asked, reaching up to grasp her wrist and try to pull her hand away, but he found he couldn't. She would not let go.

"Icarus!" she repeated again, then finally she explained why she'd said the name. "The son of a wealthy business man from two hundred years ago! They say he joined a cult who worshipped Zeref and all of Zeref's creations, and they hailed him as their leader almost immediately after he joined! And Icarus…he just suddenly disappeared one day!"

"I fail to see the importance of that!" Gajeel said, annoyed, as he once more tried to get away from her. Jet and Droy, even though they cared for Levy, knew that she had made her choice. Even if he was an ass. So they didn't intervene, just watched with baited breath. They couldn't deny that her franticness was freaking them out, too.

"After they all disappeared, women started disappearing, too!" Levy pounded one fist against Gajeel's chest. "Most of them were mages…but they never turned back up alive!"

"Levy…?" Jet asked, stepping forward once, starting to understand what she was getting at.

"And all of them were _blonde_!" the blue-haired girl wailed, hitting the iron dragonslayer again. "Not one of them was a brunette or any other hair color! They were all _blonde_ and they were all found _dead_! And the authorities at the time suspected Icarus but they could never prove it, because he was never found! In the years since then, more women have disappeared at more random intervals, and they just blamed them as freak happenings, but they were _all blonde_! The cult even resurfaced about seventy-five years ago, though it could never be proven that it was the same one…but still, the thirty or so women who disappeared in five years' time were _blonde_, Gajeel! They were all _blonde_, again!What if it was him? What if Icarus never _died_, Gajeel? What if…what if…? Lu-chan!"

He didn't try to push her away anymore. His blood ran cold at the very thought of what Levy was implying. Instead, he picked the girl up easily as she threw her arms around his neck, sobbing. It had been a long time since she had been this scared, and the usually cold and uncaring dragonslayer didn't want to see her this way. Not ever.

"Let's go back to where the others are," he told Jet and Droy and Pantherlily, who all nodded and knew who the 'they' he was referring to were even though he hadn't been specific. They bolted toward that alleyway with all haste, where they had last seen Natsu, unconscious between Mirajane and Cana.

Gajeel only hoped there was something they could do. Not just for Lucy, or for Natsu, but for the weeping girl in his arms, too. They had to save Lucy for that, though, so finding Bunny Girl was a huge priority.

But first he needed to tell those two what Levy had recalled. It sounded important.

It sounded…ominous.

* * *

><p>"Why…won't…this…come…off?" Cana seethed in frustration. The metal bands around the dragonslayer's wrists would not open for she or Mirajane, and it was obvious that they were sapping his strength somehow.<p>

"I…have to…save Lucy!" he tried to struggle to his feet for the seventh time but failed badly.

"Hey, Alcoholic!"

"I'm not in the mood, damn it!" the card mage cursed at Gajeel, but looked up to see that there was a sobbing Levy McGarden wrapped around his neck and cradled in his arms. Jet, Droy, and Pantherlily followed them into the alleyway.

"Levy, what's wrong?" Mira cried, rushing over as Gajeel gently set the blue-haired woman on her feet and transferred her to Mirajane's capable care.

"She thinks she knows who took Bunny Girl, but the news isn't good," Gajeel said, looking at Levy, who was wailing incomprehensible words into Mira's shoulder.

"Where is Lucy?" Natsu thumped to the ground again in a pathetic mess after another failed attempt to stand, "Who's got her?"

"Gajeel, tell us while you help Natsu," Mirajane said in a pleading tone. The iron dragonslayer didn't even have the heart to protest, but walked over and knelt by the pink-haired dragonslayer, examining the bands with a careful eye. He started to speak as he did so.

"There was this guy called Icarus like, two hundred years ago, from what Bookworm says. Rich kid and yadda, yadda, yadda," one cuff made a strange grating sound and it was obvious that it was starting to come off, "but that's not the worst part. Kid joined a Zeref-worshipping cult, apparently, and was made their leader and then they all just vanished. Blondes started going missing after that and started to turn up dead. They thought Rich Boy was behind it, but couldn't prove it."

"What does that have to do with Lucy?" demanded Natsu angrily, pulling at the half-off cuff. Cana then realized that one of Gajeel's fingers was a mini drill and he was cutting the metal off that way. It was clever. "If he's from two hundred years ago, then this Icky guy is dead!"

"Not if he was like Zeref," Mira realized softly, but the words were not missed by anyone.

"Exactly what Bookworm thought," Gajeel said, a growling tone. "Other blondes have gone missing since then, too. Just not as often."

"_Shut up_!" Natsu growled, yanking his arm backwards as forcefully as he could. That first cuff fell off of his wrist. "Lucy's not dead!"

"Not yet, maybe," said the other dragonslayer darkly, "but she will be if you don't shut the _hell_ up and let me get that other thing off of your arm!"

Gajeel's voice had risen before he realized it, and he couldn't deny it anymore. The intimidating but never intimidated…he was worried. Cana noticed as much, and by the widening of Natsu's eyes, as well as Jet's and Droy's, she knew that they had realized it too. A brief silence, broken only by Natsu moving his arm into Gajeel's reach and the sound of the metal being drilled away, encompassed the small group.

"You gotta find Bunny Girl before it's too late," the black-haired dragonslayer finally told the pink-haired one as only a sliver of metal remained between Natsu's arm and freedom from this weakness. He said it softly so that Jet, Droy, and Pantherlily, who were keeping their distance, didn't hear it, but Mira, the sobbing Levy, and the astonished Cana did. "Go!"

The minute the metal snapped off, the fire mage surged to his feet, strength flooding his veins once more. He was ready for a fight, and he was sure as hell going to bring one to the bastards that took Lucy from him.

"Wherever you are, Icky Walrus, I'm coming for you!"

"It's Icarus, Dumbass!" Gajeel called in a moment where his insult was reminiscent of one of Gray's, but the other dragonslayer hadn't heard. He had sprinted off before even Mira could protest that he needed to rest. The black-haired man knew that the white-haired woman would soon scold him about provoking the injured Natsu, but Gajeel knew that the pink-haired one would blame himself forever if anything at all happened to the blonde.

He wasn't dumb; he knew that Bunny Girl was destined to be Natsu's mate.

* * *

><p>"<em>He's awake and freed from our restraints," said the one that Levy suspected, grinning darkly. "Oh, Natsu…don't you know you're running to your death?"<em>

"_He's nothing but a fool, master," said Brunhilda. "Most likely, he thinks he can handle you. He knows not what you are capable of, and he knows nothing of the wisdom that you possess. You are much to clever for him to even stand a chance against!"_

"_I agree with Brunie," came Verna's whispering tones again. The two females, along with the one called Rizkash, were the only henchwomen and henchman in the surveillance room with Icarus at the time. The others had been sent on small errands, and Hall had been sent to watch Lucy for a brief time._

"_He will learn in a short time, ladies, he will learn," soothed the evil man, teeth flashing in the light from the various scenes they watched. _

"_The dragonslayer heads straight here, milord," said Rizkash, "How is it that he knew where to go? And are there any defenses you wish for us to prepare before he arrives here? Traps, perhaps, to keep him at bay until the deed is done and you can take care of him yourself?"_

"_No," said the silver-haired Icarus, tapping his long, slim, pale fingers on the arm of his chair. "Don't hinder him at all. Let him come in…in fact, let him see her face. Let him be within inches of her…and then I will strike."_

"_Give him hope just to tear it away, milord?" asked Verna._

"_What a lovely idea," Brunhilda cackled. The others joined in, even Icarus the mastermind himself._

* * *

><p>Natsu didn't know where he was going, but something was drawing him. His heart ached, and he thought perhaps it was reaching out to Lucy, because he didn't think he'd have a heart without her. It was one of those mushy thoughts that he never thought he'd think, and yet he was thinking it, because it was kind of true. Natsu didn't think there would ever be another person he could feel so much for, or have such a connection with. It was Lucy, and it would always be Lucy.<p>

He ran by Macao, Wakaba, and Romeo, who all started at him as though they'd seen a ghost. And Natsu might have seemed like a ghost to them, with the blood that was dried upon the left side of his face that no one had bothered to wipe away. He barely registered the itchiness of the blood caked there. The dragonslayer's desire to rescue the girl was overpowering his pain receptors, or those that told him his face and scalp and even the back of his neck itched from the blood there. He could feel nothing but that mad sense of desperation. And really, he didn't want to feel anything right now, he just wanted to _do _something about it all.

"I'm coming…Luce!" he gasped out, ignoring the stitch in his side and focusing instead on the pulse pounding in his ears and the slap of his shoes on the pavement.

No, the fire mage didn't know how he knew where to go. He just _knew_. And that was fine by him.

* * *

><p>"You know, Miss Heartfilia," came that dreadful man's voice, and Lucy's head jerked up. The darkness was only broken by the shaft of moonlight through the barred window above her head. She could see the tips of his shiny, new black boots as he continued, "it's almost time for the ceremony. And you'll be having a visitor shortly…but he won't last long."<p>

"What visitor?" she said, her blood starting to run cold. The blonde didn't know which was worse; dying alone without the chance to say her goodbyes, or that ominous news. Was it one of her Fairy Tail nakama, come to try to rescue her only to be killed in the process? Because isn't that what the _he won't last long_ implied that whoever it was…was going to _die_? "And are you going to kill him?"

"You'll find out who it is soon enough. He's almost here. And of course he's got to die if he makes it this far, my dear. My hideout has been kept secret for over two hundred years do you think I'll let one of your foolish guild members ruin this for me now?"

If it was possible, her blood ran colder.

"Don't hurt them!" she burst out before she could stop herself. The celestial mage knew whatever pleas she would spout probably wouldn't help in the least, but she had to try. "You've got me, isn't that what you wanted? You can take my blood, or kill me, or whatever you're planning on doing, but leave Fairy Tail out of it!"

"Lucy," he used her first name, and knelt down to her height so that the moonlight glanced upon his malicious grin. "Lucy, dear, don't you realize that _I _won't be the one hurting your nakama?"

"What are you talking about…?"

Lucy's voice was low, questioning. She didn't like the tone that he had taken. It was almost as if he was lecturing her on something she had or would do wrong, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Later, Miss Heartfilia," he said, standing and disappearing into the shadows effortlessly. "Your knight in dulled armor arrives."

"What…?"

The door blasted open not even thirty seconds later, and fire licked along the fallen timber as a silhouette stood in the doorway.

* * *

><p>On the outskirts of town, Natsu had found a run-down shack. He didn't know what had led him there, but he had gone, and what did he find? The shack, and the hill it stood on, was just an illusion. Once he got within the boundaries, a sinister looking fortress came into his sight, with dark gray stone and barred windows, lit not with magic lamps but with torches.<p>

He didn't hesitate to enter.

Lucy was in there somewhere he just knew it! And he'd be damned if he didn't try to get her out, even if he was going to be outnumbered a thousand to one.

* * *

><p>"Luce?"<p>

His voice rang out, and Lucy's blood ran even colder. _They were going to kill Natsu_.

"N…Natsu?" she couldn't help the words. She knew that he would have noticed her anyway, since just a little bit of her was bathed in moonlight, but she couldn't help but think that he might have overlooked her if she'd stayed still and silent. But it was too late for that. The light from Natsu's brief fire faded, and he ran across the room toward her, almost frantically.

"Lucy! You're alive, thank God…we have to get you out of here, Luce, quick. There's this guy named Icky Walrus or something that's going to try to kill you or at least that's what Gajeel said Levy told him…"

He was nearly babbling, and Lucy couldn't find the words to say. _Go away_, she wanted to say, _you're going to be killed!_ but they words wouldn't come. Somehow, if it was Natsu, there was always the little glimmer of hope that everything would turn out all right.

"Shit! These things are cutting into your wrists, Luce, did you notice? I can't get them off without hurting you worse…"

"Natsu…" she managed, finally finding her voice.

"Sh, Luce, I got you," he said.

Lucy didn't see the dark shape looming behind him in time to call out.

Her eyes found Natsu's chest just as a blade that damned ceremonial dagger that her captor kept belted at his waist forced through it from behind with a sickening crunch. Blood splattered across the wall beside her, and onto her cheek as she cried out, a wordless shriek that echoed off the walls at her. Lucy couldn't even bring herself to care that blood splattered onto her dress, soon invisible in the dim lighting. Blood dripped from the knife, which still protruded from the dragonslayer's chest.

"L-Lucy…" he managed, a little bit of blood trickling from his lips.

With another sickening sound, the silver-haired man pulled the blade out and Natsu crashed to the ground. Lucy found her voice as she saw the blood begin to pool around him.

"Natsu! Natsu!"

All that Lucy's eyes would turn to now was that puddle of blood as it grew wider and wider, glistening in the ray of moonlight that shined through the barred window, and the dagger that was held in 'Icky Walrus'' hand. Blood gleamed down its length, and suddenly Lucy recalled a story of a serial murderer of blondes that Levy had told her once.

_Icarus_. This must be him. This…_bastard_.

One side of his face was thrown into the light, and it showed one of his ice blue eyes, with the catlike pupil, and the devilish quirk of his lips upward in a smile of delirious delight. Silvery hair fell across his face, but he ignored it as he smirked at Lucy.

"Natsu," she sobbed, unable to tear her eyes away. Icarus lifted the dagger to eye level and smirked at her before letting his tongue slide up the blade. Lucy shivered at his unwavering gaze, and her eyes fell to the prone figure on the floor. His pink hair obscured his face, his blood surrounding him.

"Now, Miss Heartfilia…" Icarus for it could be no other man than the Icarus Levy had once told her of said to Lucy, "It's time for the ceremony."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh. My. Gosh.<strong>

**I think I hated myself for a while here.**

**I've had it planned for like, EVER, but it still killed me inside to write this.**

**Anyway, I hope this update satisfies. Please don't kill me! I have the next one planned, just not typed. Be a little patient, 'kay? **

**Thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**BWAHAHAHAHA. The suspense….it killed you, yes?**

**Well…I had about half of the chapter**_**–a little over two thousand words–**_**already done and turned it on to finish it. What do I find, though, but the author's note…**_**without any of the story**_**? My entire OVER 2000 WORDS is **_**gone. **_**So I completely changed this damn author's note. I am pretty certain that I saved it numerous times while typing…so I'm currently PISSED that I have to retype the whole thing. And what about the things I'll undoubtedly leave out that I had the first time?**

**Yeah. So that's why this is going to take longer than I had planned. I planned to have it by today (Wednesday the 26****th**** of October) but it will probably be Friday at earliest, unless I find more time.**

**FML.**

* * *

><p>The smirking man in front of Lucy motioned with his arm behind him, but Lucy didn't pay attention to what came in the door. Her eyes could see nothing but the limp, lifeless from on the ground in front of her. That pink hair she'd been tempted to run her hands through hours before but had refrained, just barely…the godlike physique she hadn't wanted to admit he possessed…but he <em>wasn't moving<em>. She felt as if her heart had stopped, but although she was sobbing there were no tears. The sometimes stress-relieving liquid droplets wouldn't roll down her porcelain cheeks.

What kind of world was it, she wondered listlessly, when the one person she could picture living with for the rest of her life was laying there, motionless, and she couldn't even shed one tear?

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the blonde knew that the loss would hit her hard sometime soon, if she was alive that long. It would strike her when she least expected it, and the tears would come and the pain. Because the pain she felt now was numb. The shock was dulling the blow, as if she couldn't fully comprehend the events that had led to this. Not that she would _want_ to understand it anytime soon. The numbness was something that she would be thankful for if she _did_ live long enough to come to terms with her loss. Even if it felt insensitive to be unable to cry, unable to _feel_, Lucy didn't know what to do and almost didn't care.

"Rizkash, Undin, please come to escort Miss Heartfilia."

The voice of the cruel Icarus sounded as though it came from far, far away, even though she could see his shiny blood-splattered boots right behind the slumped figure on the ground. It was then that the blonde felt hands on the shackles at her wrists. The same wrists that _Natsu_ had been touching with his hotter-than-normal-people's fingers in the instant that the knife had plunged into his back.

Lucy looked away from the body on the floor to see who was touching her to find two of the nightmarish little men who had captured her in the first place. Their hair, graying for one and black for the other, grew in tufts at random intervals along their stitched and lumpy heads. The gray-haired one had a permanent sneer from the stitches on his face and was missing three or four teeth. The other had one eye literally stitched closed and had a completely lopsided face. They both were hunched over, and the left shoulder of the older one was higher than his right shoulder. The celestial mage who was trapped between them suppressed her shudder and looked away. Unfortunately, looking away from them placed her gaze back on the pool of blood before her.

"Perhaps, my dear Lucy," Icarus switched back to her first name again, she noted blankly, "you will want to know why you're important for the ceremony? Why we need your blood?"

"My blood…?"

She was surprised she'd even said it as the two short, hunched, and hideously disfigured men heaved her to her feet. She silently acknowledged that they were wearing little charms around their necks that glowed slightly, and she decided that these charms were the reason that the two were hovering off the ground at a height that made them capable of gripping her upper arms tightly and pulling her along.

"Why don't I tell you while we head to the ceremony?"

And the floating minions hefted her over the motionless body on the floor, following their master as he led the way out of the cell.

* * *

><p>Everyone had quickly been assembled back at the guild for the briefest possible meeting. While they were all settling down, Cana was pacing impatiently and Mira was fidgeting with her delicate hands. The news that Natsu had been found but had run off had already been spread around the room, and it was oddly quiet. There were, of course, the expected speculating murmurs, but nothing more than that.<p>

"I need you to listen," Mira finally said, and a hush fell across the entire guild in a matter of seconds. "We don't know where Lucy is, and Natsu ran off toward the north end of town. We need to find them both, and as soon as possible. Do you guys understand?"

"What are the alcoholic and the white cat all worked up about?" Gajeel asked in his usual uninterested tone, but the way he leaned forward showed that he was ready for action. "I know that the cat sees the future sometimes, and that the alcoholic reads fortunes or whatever. What did they see?"

Mira looked uneasily at Cana, who glanced at the white Exceed right beside her. Charle gave a nervous little nod as Pantherlily and Happy hovered around where she sat in Wendy's lap.

"If we don't find Natsu and Lucy _now,_" Cana said slowly and deliberately, trying her best to keep the shaking out of her voice. It was hard, and her father's expression grew a little tighter as he watched his daughter struggle to say what needed to be said, "and I mean _now_, it's probably safe to say that at least Natsu but most likely both of them are going to die."

The words made Cana's heart feel like exploding, or imploding, or something that had to do with bursting or rupturing, because they hurt like hell. But she couldn't show that on her face. She took a few breaths in an attempt to calm herself down, and looked around her at the stricken expressions that all of her nakama were wearing. Gajeel's forehead was creased in thought, Nab was going pale, Laki was shaking, eyes wide…the reactions were varied, but all showed some form of nervousness, fear, and worry.

"That's all you need to know," Mirajane cut across, looking out over everyone. "I want everyone to split into groups of two or three and go out to find them. Fan out to the north of where we found Natsu, and if we don't find them within the next twenty minutes we'll all meet at the run-down Fuchsia Lane Inn and head out of town and into the hills from there. Am I understood?"

There was a raucous sound of agreement as everyone surged to their feet, finding their groups. Levy and Gajeel accompanied by Pantherlily were one of the first teams out the door. Lisanna and Bixlow ended up out the door after Laki, Mickey, and Max, followed by Evergreen and Elfman, which hardly came as a surprise to the white-haired barmaid. Mirajane made to follow the speedy Cana, but noticed that Gildartz was already forcing his way to his daughter and so she stopped to look at the other pairs. Wendy and Romeo with Happy and Charle in tow followed at the tail end, right behind the group of Wakaba, Nab, and Macao and the group of Erza and Gray. The reinstated Laxus, despite Mira's request, strode out on his own, a stormy look in his eyes.

"Aren't you coming?" asked a voice behind her, and she started as Fried Justine grabbed her arm and started to pull her through the door. As they got out, the woman spotted Warren running down the main street, heading for the Fuchsia Lane Inn in advance to wait for word from someone.

Before the guild doors fell shut, the several-time cover girl for _Weekly Sorcerer_ glanced over her shoulder at the brooding Master Makarov, now standing on the bar and looking deep in thought.

Whatever he was doing, Mirajane decided, he was doing it for the best.

The fate of his children meant more to him than anything else, so she knew that whatever he was thinking about was of the utmost importance.

* * *

><p>"Why don't I start at the beginning for your benefit, Lucy?" Icacrus asked in that all too familiar way. She wanted to tell him that they weren't friends and ask–no, <em>demand<em>–to know why he was acting like they were. But he didn't seem to notice her irritation and continued with, "My people and I, you see, aren't exactly from your time. We've been around for about two hundred years. I don't just mean our organization, though. Almost all of us are about two hundred years old now. Isn't that amazing, Lucy?"

_Don't call me that_, she wanted to say, but all she could do was manage a blank stare at him. The odd fuzziness still engulfed her thoughts. Was that knife through Natsu only a trick, a dream? Or even a far-off memory? It almost seemed to be so, but she knew it was only a few long, torturous minutes ago. The blonde could tell that this bastard in front of her still waited for an answer, though, so she let out a noncommittal sound and he took it as a sign to go ahead as he led the way to what she was sure would be her death.

"Our organization has a sort of mascot, if you will, but she's been trapped for a while, and we need a certain blood to be able to get her free. There's a prophecy, you see, that tells us what we need. At first, we thought it just meant the blood of a woman, so we tried a few. None of them were right, so we worked on deciphering the prophecy some more–because, you see, it's in a much more ancient script than many today would realize–and found out that it had to be a blonde woman. We found that out, and, foolishly, I must admit, began to draw random blonde women here for our purposes…"

Lucy wasn't liking the sound of this story. It made her pretty certain that she was about to die.

"But, after a time, we realized that it just wasn't working. The next line of the prophecy said something about chocolate, but we didn't understand what, so we found a few blonde women who were currently working at candy stores. I'm going to assume by your silence that you have realized how foolhardy our course of action was. There had to have been hundreds of women, but none of them had been the right one. So we spent about thirty years researching and puzzling through the prophecy, trying to find the right criteria. And guess what we found, Lucy?"

Numbness was seeping away to a heartbreaking pain, and she realized that the loss was starting to set in. She found her voice and asked, "What did you find?" in a wry but weak manner.

"We found that we'd been missing the key ingredient."

* * *

><p>There had to be something he was missing.<p>

Makarov frowned, the creases on his face just enhancing his careworn visage. He was sitting in the silent guild, trying desperately to recall everything that he could about that case seventy-five years ago, where a lot of blondes disappeared and only ever turned up dead. The fact that they were all blonde, and so was Lucy, was greatly disconcerting. Her face was swimming in his mind as the headline image; _Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail is Missing_. A picture of her face smiles up at him. And then the next headline comes into his mind's eye, _The Body of the Missing Fairy Tail Mage, Lucy Heartfilia, has Been Found_, and in smaller headline beneath, _Funeral arrangements in the care of Fairy Tail_.

"Damn," Makarov said, frowning, but no sooner had he said it than the basis of what he'd been struggling to remember began forming in his mind.

Seventy-five years ago, they'd had a huge investigation. Mages and police and the army teamed up in an attempt to put a stop to the mass murders, but to no avail. The entire city of Magnolia had been searched and nothing had turned up, so they moved to the hills and began their search. Yet Makarov had finally pieced together the obvious fact that no one else before him had.

There was an old dilapidated shack on one of the hills to the north that had been there since before the eighty-eight year old third master had ever been born. It had been there seventy-five years ago when all the murders happened, and forty years more recently when a span of a few more murders had occurred with a much smaller investigation. And both investigations had attempted to search the shack, but officers had gone missing. Six of them, to be exact. And all but one had turned up a few weeks after their respective disappearances…_dead_.

The old man stood from his seat atop the bar with a fluid movement that belied his age. With quick steps and a bit of his giant magic to make him larger and thus make his strides longer, Makarov began to make his way, with all haste, towards the Fuchsia Lane Inn.

He knew where his two children would be.

He just hoped it wasn't too late.

* * *

><p>The blonde celestial mage was yanked roughly through the door that Icarus held ajar with a flourish and a smirk. A small army of his disfigured minions had formed behind her at some point, so even if she could tell her legs to run she wouldn't make it far before they captured her again. She didn't know where her keys had gotten to, so they couldn't be of help to her. She knew she was going to die and almost embraced it with an ache in her heart that told her she'd be with her mother and father and <em>Natsu<em> soon.

"You see, Lucy," he was being familiar again as he led the way to a depression in the room, like a bowl. There was a dais in the middle with a marble block sitting atop it, carved with images that grew more and more grotesque the closer Lucy was pulled. "The ingredient we were missing was a very important ingredient. The blood of a woman who was blonde with dark brown eyes simply wasn't enough. We added mages into the mix, and that still didn't work. The prophecy calls our missing ingredient _Fairy's_ blood. And so we tried a few more women at some point, whose names were related to a few old fairy legends…but alas, we failed."

"What makes you think I have what you need?"

Lucy was getting an impertinent streak in a vain attempt to drown out the suffocation of her heart. Icarus responded to her pert question with a smirk.

"Well, Lucy, it was very recently that we were drawn to a certain mage guild. After all, it _is_ called _Fairy_ Tail. And so we started to watch it, because perhaps just a mage from your guild would be enough."

Dread filled her chest. If it wasn't her that they were searching for, would they leap upon the next blonde woman to enter the guild?

"Unfortunately for us, a few months after you joined and we had chosen you as the next woman…you disappeared along with the entirety of Tenrou Island. Our diviner felt that it wasn't the last we'd see of you, though, so we used those seven years to dig up whatever we could find about you. Your lineage became a source of great interest, for what did we find but vague hints that you might have an ancestor who was not as he seemed? Ethereal, almost. Your great-great-great grandfather on your mother's side possessed such a strange, unearthly beauty that one of our sources referred to him as a fairy. And what if he was?"

_Oh, no_.

She didn't want them to move on to any other person, but she didn't want to be the one they needed to revive their…_mascot_. It wouldn't bode well for Fiore, she was certain. But her resistance was shot after having lost the last, single most important person in her life.

"Strap her down," Icarus directed, a strange break from the flow of his story. Roughly, Lucy's two floating escorts yanked her up onto the dais and pushed her to the ground beside the marble basin. She learned then that all the carvings on the side of the marble block were of women who seemed to be in utmost agony, and her stomach churned. Forced to her knees, her eyes found the bottom of the basin, and she felt the bile rise in her throat.

The discoloration there could be nothing else but blood.

"This is where each of those women was tried, Lucy," explained Icarus, his voice growing higher due to the excitement. Her left arm was pulled forward and strapped against the side of the basin by leather straps strengthened by chain links. Her pale wrist rested over the basin, and with a lump of dread, she realized that this would be where they practically bled her to death. "This is where we found that they were not the right woman, the woman spoken of in the prophecy."

Lucy looked up, placing a defiant look on her face although she was resigned to whatever was going to happen. She watched as Icarus slowly drew the ceremonial dagger from the sheath at his belt. She couldn't help but wonder if this was the very same dagger that had already taken so many lives, but then she realized that it must be. The details on the hilt were almost as grotesque as the carvings on the blood-stained marble basin.

"Back away and begin the chant," Icarus ordered his minions, and the blonde whose life was forfeit could almost feel the glee that surged through the room as Icarus raised his arms, the open robe swallowing him up as he raised his voice in a foreign language. The chant.

* * *

><p>"Why are we here?" Cana asked, her eyes darting rapidly from Master Makarov to the door of the Fuchsia Lane Inn many times. In her heart, the card mage had a desire to flee the room and search with a wild abandon. She would overturn everything in her path until she found those that she was looking for. "We should be out there, trying to find Natsu and Lucy! We could be too late!"<p>

"Cana," Mira tried to soothe her, but Master Makarov finally spoke after a brief deliberation.

"No, she's right, Mira," the old man said, and everyone froze and focused their attention on him. "I had Warren call you all here early because the searching is pointless."

Erza prepared to protest, ready to oppose even Fairy Tail's reinstated third master for the sake of her two friends. Her reaction was not the only one.

"Master!" Mira's eyes were wide, fearful. Had he already given up on his children?

"We won't find them in town. There was a period over seventy years ago, and at various times in more ancient and more recent history, where blonde women have been abducted and later found dead," this received gasps and cries of dismay, "but what no one has put together is where the base of operations might have been."

"You know," said Gajeel lowly.

"You know, don't you?" Levy asked, standing so quickly that her chair smashed into the ground with a loud bang.

"We're going there now," said Master Makarov, a fierce glare in his eyes that no one had seen for a long while. "We're going to find Natsu and Lucy and get them back at all costs."

"Where?" was all Cana needed to ask.

"The shack at the top of the hill that some call the Fairy Grove."

_What a fitting name_, Mirajane would have thought had tow of her nakama not been in grave danger.

* * *

><p>The cacophony that made up the chant around her made Lucy's toes curl in displeasure and discomfort, but strapped down as she was with her right hand in a new shackle attached to the base of the basin she could do nothing about it. She couldn't cover her ears and it was impossible to drown the miserable sound out.<p>

The only word that Lucy could make sense of was repeated in almost every identical sentence.

_Nezra_.

The blonde could only grudgingly assume that this _Nezra_ was the mascot to which she would be sacrificed, for lack of better terminology.

She had no idea why she realized that Nezra had the same number of letters as Natsu, and started with the same consonant, but she did know now that he was _gone_. Would her death really erase the sin she felt she had committed by leading him here to his death? Would anyone ever forgive her after she was gone, for causing the death of Natsu? And there was also the idea that, on the off-chance that she managed to survive, would she be able to forgive herself?

The pain of losing him was blurring her reasoning. She couldn't think straight. Lucy felt as though she was drowning in guilt, or even in the blood that she had yet to spill.

The chant around her rose to a crescendo, deafening the wincing blonde, but then it cut off abruptly. She opened her eyes to find Icarus saying a few final words, gesticulating around him, but then he leaned forward and tilted Lucy's head straight up to where she was staring at a grotesque and bloody painting of a demon-woman on the ceiling.

_Is that Nezra_? She wondered. _Am I dying for her…or am I going to become her?_

"Now, the Fairy Blood of Lucy Heartfilia shall awaken you, Nezra!"

Cold metal pressed against the soft white flesh of her inner wrist just as the doors burst violently open.

"_Don't touch her_."

Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, my. What's happening?<strong>

**Sorry for the lateness, by the way. The reason is explained above...though this ended just a little shorter than intended because I was a little rushed.**

**Anyway….I hope you liked it at least a little. Sort of.**

**I'm so mean, leaving you with another cliffhanger! **

…**I love you guys…?**

_**Don'tkillmepleaseorIwon'tbeabletowritemoreforyou!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Do you hate me enough yet? No? Then I'll update later…**

**Haha. Anyway…here's the next AFB. THE LAST. Until, of course, the (maybe long) one chapter epilogue I have planned, because I KNOW you'll hate how I'm ending it here. It **_**is**_** a cliffhanger of sorts. Just to warn you. **

**Anyway, Chapter Ten has arrived. Enjoy.**

…**Maybe…**

* * *

><p>The sound of the doors banging violently against the walls echoed throughout the rounded chamber, deafening in the abrupt silence after the chanting had ended. The cold metal of the dagger pressed against the pale flesh on the inside of Lucy's wrist, but no one was paying attention to that fact right now. Every eye in the room was directed at the doorway, where a figure was silhouetted, features cast in shadow because the majority of the light came from the hallway behind it. From the voice it was obvious that this person was a he, and his ragged breathing could be heard by even Lucy. The figure was hunched over slightly and it looked as if one arm was held up slightly across his body.<p>

"So you're here," said Icarus, and Lucy was suddenly acutely aware of the metal pressing against her skin again. Despite her immediate peril, though, her eyes flicked only once to where her skin was depressed under the blade before returning to her potential savior at the door. "Just wait a few minutes and we'll let darling Lucy take care of you."

"_Don't touch her_!"

The figure lurched forward as the sharp pain cut through Lucy's concentration and her head whipped around to stare at her blood already rapidly pooling in the marble basin beneath it. She winced, slightly delayed, and felt her arm start tingling in an all too ominous manner.

"Lucy!"

How could she have already forgotten the voice? The person in the doorway?

Her head whipped away from the grotesque sight of her blood rapidly spilling from her body through one single severed vein and focused on the figure thrown into the light. The voice she thought she had somehow recognized belonged to this person. It belonged to whom she had hoped it would but also to whom she dreaded it would.

_Natsu_.

How could he be alive, and breathing, and _standing right over there_ when she had been so _certain_ that Icarus had killed him? And how could she have ever doubted Natsu when he had never failed her before?

"Hold him," Icarus' voice was cold but unconcerned. There was an unhidden glee in his tone and suddenly, Lucy gasped at the sensation in her wrist. Though she didn't want to, she pulled her eyes away from Natsu's form as he was beset upon from all sides. Her eyes found her own bleeding arm and she jerked, trying in vain to free her arm from the leather holding her in place.

Coiled in the marble basin like a snake was the blood that she had already lost. Latched to her wrist was the serpent's red mouth, suckling like a calf at his mother's utters. The sight made Lucy sick to her stomach and she wanted to empty the contents but found herself unable to do so. She was grotesquely fascinated by the scene before her. She shouldn't be, she knew, but she just couldn't help it. Lucy knew that she was going to die here, but the grotesque fascination with the thing that was going to kill her had frozen her to her spot. A trickle of her own blood slid down the pale flesh of her inner arm, jogging her temporarily from her trance as she tried to free her arm.

She noticed the sounds of a struggle in the background. So Natsu, as usual, was putting up a hell of a fight, then. If she were any position to do so she would have, to, but as it was the only thing she could do was twist and pull her arm, which hurt and caused the blood to flow faster. The crimson serpent just gulped ever faster, growing with each new trickle of blood that went down it's throat.

Lucy heard her name shouted from behind her, but was distracted by the high pitched laughter of Icarus as he taunted the dragonslayer.

"You're too late, fool! It's already begun!"

And so it had.

Lucy's shriek echoed over Natsu's cries as her body began to shake.

* * *

><p>Almost as if they were one single entity, the entirety of Fairy Tail charged toward the huge hill on the edge of town where Master Makarov thought his missing children were likely to be. The air about them all was one of urgency, for if there had ever been a more desperate moment in Fairy Tail, even the Tenrou Island incident, none of them could remember. There was a roaring in everyone's ears, drowning out all sounds except for their own breathing or the words that they shouted.<p>

It was a matter of life and death in which they could not fail.

* * *

><p>Natsu couldn't see what was happening with Lucy, but the way her shoulders tensed up and that bloodcurdling shriek left her lips had him on edge. In his struggle, the wound from Icky Walrus' dagger, which he'd burned closed, had reopened and blood dripped down his chest, but he didn't care. For one, it made the creepy little henchmen and women trying to grab him slip, and for another, how could he even <em>think<em> about something like that when Lucy was screaming like that? The bloodcurdling shriek that rent the air was so much worse than he had ever imagined it could be.

Lucy, however, was going through _hell_. The screams that ripped from her throat hurt, but she couldn't bite them back.

Anyone would scream if their blood had solidified into a three foot long snakelike creature that was an inch in a half in diameter and currently in the process of worming its way back _into_ their bloodstream, wouldn't they?

Exactly.

Her own blood was solid now, forcing its bulk back into the cut that Icarus had made on Lucy's wrist, pulling the gash open wider and making even more of the blonde's blood slide into the basin. The pain was more than she'd ever had to endure, and Lucy wondered if it would ever end–rather, she wished that it would, and _soon_, because she didn't think she could take this much longer. The pain–what had she done to deserve such pain? Was it because she'd never had a good relationship with her father? Was she being punished for that now when there was nothing she could do to change it even though she wished there was?

But then she remembered what would happen if she gave in and Lucy _fought_. She didn't have any idea what she needed to do to try to fend off Nezra (isn't that what Icarus had called her? Lucy wondered), but she was going to try anyway. Whatever it took. It wasn't only her life on the line, was it? Not anymore. If they weren't so certain that she was the one that would be a perfect match for Nezra it wouldn't be as bad. There'd still be the possibility that she would die in the process and then her body wouldn't be used to kill other innocent people. That wasn't the case, though, because Icarus was beyond certain that Lucy was the one they needed and with the evidence he provided, she wasn't too sure that she _wasn't_ the one.

"Yes! _Yes_!" came the gleeful voice of the person who had just crossed the blonde's mind. Icarus. The sound of his joy made her more uneasy than she already was, because his tone made it seem that there was no doubt, that she _was _the right girl. And that thought scared her almost as much as the idea that she _wasn't_ the right one.

"_Lucy!_"

And how could she have forgotten _him_?

"N…Natsu!" she managed to cry out, refraining from screaming for just long enough to get her dragonslayer's name to pass her lips. Her resolve could hold no longer than that, and as the blood snake thrashed inside her arm, causing her skin to ripple, she screamed.

Furious, Natsu let out an animalistic growl and flames burst into life around him, scattering and searing the little henchmen who had been so desperately holding him back. He took three large steps before more henchman were on him, bearing him to the ground.

And still, the screams shattered the still air.

* * *

><p>Wendy gasped as they ran up the hill, stumbling to a halt and clutching her ears, eyes wide and frightened. Charle immediately stopped and asked, "Wendy, what's wrong?"<p>

The white Exceed nearly attacked Gajeel when he picked up the smaller dragonslayer and slung her over his shoulder, continuing to run. His face was grim, one eye squinted as if he could hear whatever it was that the small girl could.

"What is it?" Mirajane asked, frowning, as she slowed her headlong charge. Gray and Erza were up front and leading with Elfman, Lisanna, Master Makarov, and the Raijinshuu and Laxus on their tails, so she knew that they would be fine for a moment if they were ambushed. "Is something wrong, Gajeel?"

Charle was angry that she was being ignored and flew up by them, putting her two bits in by saying, "Yes, something is wrong! He's manhandling Wendy!"

"If you could hear the way Bunny Girl is screaming, you'd be covering your ears, too," the big dragonslayer growled.

"Screaming?" Mira's eyes widened and she stumbled a little, but quickly regained her balance. "What do you mean, 'screaming'?"

"H-hurry!" Wendy's lip trembled as she uncovered her ears and winced. "Lucy-san is hurting!"

Most of the guild had been paying attention to this exchange on-the-run and did not need any further urging. Mira's body changed into that of a large white tiger as she ran, quickly catching up to Erza and nudging her.

The two women seemed to have a silent understanding because, even as she was running, Erza requipped into a light Amazonian armor and vaulted onto Mira's back. Seeing this, Lisanna changed into a cheetah, catching up quickly as Happy picked up Gray. Charle took Wendy from Gajeel's shoulder and like that, everyone was finding their own ways to move more quickly than before. It was more than their friends who depended on them now. It was their _family_.

* * *

><p>Porlyusica closed her eyes, standing at the edge of Magnolia. If she was right, Fairy Tail would be calling upon her soon. Even if she didn't like being so close to so many humans, she owed Makarov for helping her find her place here, in Earthland and, if she was honest with herself, that crazy old man was the closest she'd ever had to a friend. She'd do favors for him not only because she owed it to him but also because she owed it to herself. Porlyusica knew she'd cut herself off from her own kind for far too long but she couldn't help it. The corruption she saw among her own race was disgusting and the only place she <em>didn't<em> see it was among Makarov's 'children'.

She sighed, opening her eyes and looking once more in the direction that the wizards of Fairy Tail had just disappeared in. For their sake, she hoped that nothing had happened to the loud, obnoxious dragonslayer and the whiny blonde celestial mage, but if it had she hoped it was something she could help them fix.

Fairy Tail couldn't afford to be broken again.

* * *

><p>Pain wracked Lucy's body. The pain was almost unbearable and even though her throat hurt from screaming she just couldn't stop. And as pain so intense sometimes does, it gave her the strength wrench her arm away from the basin, snapping the leather straps holding her without any effort whatsoever. She scrambled to her feet, staggering, her eyes watering from the pain as she clutched her arm. The skin there was almost bubbling as the demon burrowed around, making her presence in Lucy's body known (as if the blonde didn't already know she was there).<p>

"_Lucy_!" Natsu cried again, and she staggered in a half circle to see him through her tear-blurred vision. He was struggling valiantly, blood freely running down his chest from the dagger wound inflicted there. She could only imagine how sticky the back of his vest would be from the blood that would be pouring from there, too.

The blonde celestial mage opened her mouth, her screaming halted for just a brief time, to try to tell him to run, but her tongue seemed to roll back on itself.

_Not ssso fassst,_ a voice hissed in her mind, and Lucy felt the bottom of her stomach drop out. She squeezed her arm tighter and the serpentine voice in her mind just laughed at her vain attempt to quash the demon.

"It's about time," Lucy's mouth opened, her voice coming out with an underlying hiss.

_This can't be happening!_ Lucy thought frantically, trying and failing to regain the use of her mouth to tell Natsu that he needed to run, _now_. Slowly, she removed her hand from her still bleeding arm. The worst part about this action was that she wasn't doing it according to her own wishes; the demon now had control of her body and she felt that soon it might just have her mind.

Icarus turned to the blonde, eyes widening, then he smirked, took a low bow, and then rose and turned to shout to the salmon-haired dragonslayer, "You're too late, Dragneel! Your precious Lucy will soon be wholly devoured by Lady Nezra, and once the Lady Nezra has full control of her body, everything that Lucy has ever held dear will be the first things that cease to exist!" he cackled maniacally, and Lucy would have shivered had her body still reacted to her own impulses. "And I think that you'll be the first to go!"

"Stop blathering, you fool," Lucy's voice was imperious, even more so than when she was living at Heartfilia manor years before. "Though I must admit that you are right…this delectable little morsel shall be the first thing I devour…"

Lucy felt herself licking her lips as the demon focused her eyes on the struggling Natsu. No matter how hard she fought internally to reject the demon, she kept failing. Nezra had found her first compatible human host in who knew _how_ long and she was loathe to let Lucy escape her grasp. The blonde shoved against the menacing presence of the demon in her mind with all the might she could muster and a hiss echoed around inside her head.

_Ssstop fighting me, foolish human!_ the snakelike, hissing voice fought back, striking like a dagger into whatever remained of Lucy.

The celestial mage, however, retorted with a firm, _Never!_ and struck out with her mind again.

"_Ssstop fighting me!_" The hissing voice bellowed, but it was in Lucy's tones and out loud. The sound echoed in the room and Lucy realized that, against the odds, she was getting somewhere in this fight. She wasn't about to give up ground now if there was anything she could do about it.

Natsu, for his part, had wanted to bellow his rage after hearing the cold sound in his best friend's–no, his _girlfriend's_–normally cheerful and sweet voice.

Nezra's Lucy voice let out a shriek of agony, and the voice that took over for just a few seconds managed to speak–the tones that Lucy remembered, now with an edge of urgency.

"_Natsu_! Please…please kill me before I can–_ngh!_–hurt anyone!"

It was disconcerting for him to see the girl that he had undeniably fallen for twitch, reaching her arms up to clutch her head and watching as her body was racked with spasms at random intervals. She was doing her best to fight, so he had to do something to help! His vision was blurred by the tears that had come at her request and his anger rose as the bastard who had caused all of this laughed at their dilemma and at the pain it was obviously causing both of the two involved. But as long as Lucy was fighting back against that demon, Natsu realized, didn't there have to be a way to get rid of it? There had to be hope, if she could hold out against something so old and something that smelled and felt so _powerful_ for so long already.

With a roar of fury, Natsu blasted the henchmen away from him, took a giant leap forward to Icky Walrus–or whatever his name was, the dragonslayer couldn't care less at the moment–and reared his fist back to punch him right across the face, knocking him farther than even Natsu had thought he could in his condition.

"_Sssubmit to me_!" the demon's sick version of Lucy's voice broke through Natsu's rage, and he turned his full attention on the girl he loved.

In a firm response to Nezra's furious demand, the determined voice of the Lucy he loved cried out, "Never!" and then, to his dismay, added, "Natsu, please! Hurry!"

"I'm coming, Luce," he said, loud enough for her to hear but really more to himself than anything. He reached the girl as she staggered forward and, as he had planned to do, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Flames started licking around his entire body, around both he and Lucy, and for once they actually could burn him, too.

He'd never realized how much being burned could actually hurt. He thought that some people who burned were just exaggerating, the way they went on about it, but it felt as painful as they always described it. Natsu wouldn't show his pain, though. The discomfort was nothing–_nothing_–if it meant that he could save Lucy. He hoped he could save her.

The demon Lucy voice shrieked, but Lucy's true voice broke through even as the demon tuned Lucy's perfectly manicured nails into violent three-inch claws and began to dig them into Natsu's already punctured torso.

"Natsu! Stop it, she'll kill you!"

He wanted to laugh at the fact that Lucy was more worried about him than she was for her own well-being. She was in more danger than he was, and she still had the nerve to try to convince him to save himself? Didn't she realize that he was nothing if she wasn't in his life?

"If you're going to end up dying here, Luce," Natsu grinned at her, even if he should have grimaced as her claws were submerged in his chest a full inch now and were aiming for his heart, "if you have to die here, then I'm coming with you!"

Lucy was in a full-out struggle for control of her own body as she was tormented mentally by the assaults of Nezra and the hissing shrieks that permeated her entire consciousness and she was struggling for control physically as her claws dug into Natsu's flesh and the sensation of being burned engulfed her from all sides. She wanted to ask Natsu what he was thinking, because he was a _fire_ dragonslayer and fire didn't affect him, but when she looked at his grin she saw that it was strained, and it wasn't just from the new puncture wounds in his chest.

He was actually burning himself alive, too.

And Natsu, despite the talons digging ever-deeper into his chest, pulled his blonde celestial mage closer as her body shuddered in his arms.

Every word she was able to say to him was a struggle, but she managed to protest his actions again with, "No, Natsu-! _Unh_!"

Her normally gentle fingers stiffened and her nails slid even deeper into the dragonslayer's skin. He knew that, for the moment, the demon was in control of the blonde's body and he increased the potency of his fire. He didn't like to do it, because he was burning the woman he was in _love_ with, the only person that he thought he could, as Igneel had put it, 'mate' with…but if he was going to be forced to live without her then he'd rather just die with her, and either way there could be some chance that she'd be saved this way, right?

Natsu hoped so.

"I'm so sorry about this, Luce," he whispered in her ear. "I bet I'm hurting you. I'm so sorry, Luce! As a friend, as a guy who loves you this much, I shouldn't ever have hurt you…but it can't be helped, not now. Don't worry, though. I won't let go, even at the end. I promise, Lucy."

Tears came from her eyes, pouring unhindered down her cheeks. Lucy could hear him loud and clear and it only made her fight against Nezra more. It didn't matter to her that she was pretty much burning alive because of him, because he was there with her. She didn't _want_ him to die with her, but it was a bit comforting to know that she wouldn't be alone at the end. It was one of her secret fears–to be alone like Papa was when he had passed on.

* * *

><p>There was nearly an uproar when the forerunners of the Fairy Tail Army (as several of them were thinking by then) disappeared when they neared the shack atop the hill, but the leader of the second group just let a roar and continued to charge. It was Romeo, and his father was right on his heels.<p>

The front door was already blasted open when the second group got within the barrier and a fight was already raging within the little fortress.

* * *

><p>"<em>Damn you<em>!" a hissing voice screamed, but it did not use Lucy's tone this time. A shriek in that same hiss led Natsu to watch closely then as a serpent like figure left Lucy's body, seeming to evaporate out through her skin. It dissipated in his fire, burning to nothingness as the talons in his chest withdrew. His attention immediately turned to that, noticing that they were returning to the perfectly manicured nails he remembered, although they were covered in his blood. And then he felt Lucy go limp in his arms and without a second's hesitation he let the fire die out, dropping to his knees with the celestial mage in his arms.

"Lucy! _Luce_!"

"I…I'm all right, Natsu…" her voice was weak, weaker than he had ever wanted to hear it, but so undeniably _hers_. Just to hear her sweet voice, even weakened as it was, came as a relief to the dragonslayer. Because even if they seemed on the verge of death, they were mages of Fairy Tail, for God's sake, and if she could survive being possessed by a demon and half burned alive, then she could survive just a little bit longer, right?

"Lucy…?"

He couldn't help saying her name again.

"You…you got rid of her, didn't you?" Lucy asked, and slowly she brought her now heavily bleeding wrist up to her chest, between their bodies in the one place they weren't touching. The back of her hand ghosted lightly across the dagger wound in his chest, which was also bleeding copiously again. He couldn't really care less about the fact that his blood was already causing a miniature puddle beneath them as he pulled her closer. She didn't care about the blood all over the white dress she was in–she didn't even know when she ended up in a white dress–and she didn't care that it was in her hair now, too. Just being close to him was all that mattered to her right now.

"I…I think so," he agreed, and he was dismayed to find that his breath was coming in ragged bursts. Spots danced before his eyes, and he realized that this might actually be the end, despite what he had been thinking earlier. Lucy's breathing was shallow, too, and that scared him worse than his ragged breathing because he wanted her to _live_, damn it!

"Thank you…" she breathed, leaning her head closer against his chest, then coughing a painful-sounding cough.

"It was nothing, Luce," he replied, struggling for breath now as he rested his chin atop her head. Her uninjured arm, the hand bloody from clutching her bleeding wrist, wrapped around his back to hug him closer and his arms tightened around her.

She could see the lights bursting behind her eyelids, too, and thought it might be her time. She was worried about Natsu's ragged breathing, but she was in no position to help him because she couldn't even help herself, so she had resorted to holding him as closely as she could. It seemed that he reciprocated the need to hold her closer.

Natsu had wanted to tell her he loved her one more time, but the darkness was encroaching upon his vision, eating away at it. And besides, Lucy was quickly fading out of consciousness, too, so she probably wouldn't have heard it either. But she wanted to tell him the same thing and couldn't get her mouth to work. And so Lucy resorted to gripping the back of his vest tighter, and he tucked his head in closer to hers wearily.

Blood spread from the two prone forms as the doors were blasted open.

Various Fairy Tail members rushed into the room, the first being Erza and Mira, who went straight to Natsu and Lucy. Erza felt like her heart had stopped in her chest when she saw the two of them there. As their guild mates filed into the room, subduing any still conscious enemies, Wendy and Romeo and Mira and her siblings and Team Natsu and the Master all went immediately to their two still nakama.

"_No_!" Mira choked out as she morphed back into her normal self, eying the chest wounds of Natsu and the pool of blood surrounding the almost lovers. "_No!_" she repeated, dropping down by them, not even caring about the blood.

"There might still be time," said Master Makarov, though he seemed grave even to the most oblivious of the guild members. "Let's get them back to town and maybe I can find Porlyusica…convince her to help."

No one seemed to believe that it could do anything that Wendy couldn't, but they felt obligated to try.

The two were laid out side by side on the floor of the chamber they'd been found in, and both looked deathly pale as their nakama tried to figure out how to carry them. They all feared it would be to late, and a deep part inside of each of them grudgingly acknowledged the idea that it probably was. And it just wasn't _fair_, because their lives together had only just begun.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END.<strong>

**...**

**No. Not kidding.**

**...**

**You hate me now, yes? Good.**

**But haven't I mentioned…? I'm making at least a one-chapter epilogue sometime? Well now you know. But this is the official 'end' of **_**A Fairy's Blood**_** and I thank you kindly for reading (and I thought that entire sentence in a hick accent, too…haha).**

**Please be patient for the epilogue, because I don't know when it will be out. Thank you for reading (again)!**


	11. Epilogue

**Here it is. The final installment of _A Fairy's Blood_.**

**That's right. The epilogue is here.**

**It's only roughly 3300 words without the author's notes, and I apologize, but I couldn't drag it on anymore without making it seem boring or monotonous. I tried to keep you hanging until close to the end, though...**

**Anyway, I'm going to thank everyone who's reviewed at the end of the chapter, so keep reading for that, okay? It takes up half the chapter's word count.**

**Thanks!**

**I love you guys.**

* * *

><p><em>His eyes were wide, staring, and she couldn't turn her gaze away.<em>

_Blood pooled all around them, coming from both of them, but all she could see was how the light in his eyes flickered. He was losing consciousness just as she was, but still he was more worried for her than he was for himself. His mouth was moving and she struggled to understand just what it was that he was saying to her. _

_Apologies. She realized he was apologizing, both with words and with a pleading gaze in his eyes. The eyes that were flickering between liveliness and listlessness and seemed to stare right into her very soul, understanding everything that she didn't want to say or didn't want him to know. And she knew that this dying man knew her better than any other man alive. She knew he cared about her in the same way that she cared about him and so he knew he didn't blame her for all of this. But she blamed herself. So, so much. It was her fault for having fairy blood somewhere down the line, and for being blonde, and for everything else that had led up to this point._

_She hated herself for causing it all. For leading him to this point, the brink of death, from which she couldn't drag him back. It was her fault, and even if he didn't blame her she'd blame herself. But she thanked him, even though it hurt, with both her voice and her eyes and a weak embrace. If it hadn't been for him, she would have killed everyone that she loved and cared for. And the killing would have started with him, so he'd saved himself by cleansing her of the demon that had taken residence briefly inside of her. _

_But then again, she knew he hadn't just cleansed her because it would save his own life._

_No. He wasn't that selfish._

_In fact, she reflected briefly, he wasn't selfish in the least. Her vision flickered and went out of focus briefly but snapped back, and she stared at him long and hard. She knew her eyes must be losing their liveliness just as his were, but she didn't care, If only he could live. If only she could die here but he could survive and live his life…it might be better off that way, anyway. He was always selfless, so why couldn't she somehow find some selfless way of saving his life? It was only fair. He'd saved her life more times than she could count, and yet she couldn't even save his._

_His eyes dulled and her heart beat faster, which just hurt like hell, as she held her breath, silently begging the light to come back. She couldn't persist past him, right? She was hurt worse, so much worse, so why couldn't she be the only one to die here? Damn it, why couldn't he live?_

_Relief surged through her as he blinked and looked down at her. His eyes were slightly out of focus, but that was better than being dull and lifeless, so she could stand it. He just had to survive until some of their other nakama came to save them. They could patch him up first because she'd insist that they did, and she'd probably breathe her last between now and the time they arrived and healed him, but she didn't care as long as he'd live. She was frantic, wanting him to be all right but somewhere very deep down knowing that he wouldn't. The bleeding holes in his chest were too serious, just like the laceration on her arm. And not to mention the fact that they were both severely burned by his purifying flames._

_Why? She wondered furiously in her faltering moments of lucidness. Why did he somehow make his fire hot enough to burn himself, when he was never bothered by the heat? It was enough to kill the demon that inhabited her body…but it was also enough to push them to this point. The edge of death, only a few feeble breaths keeping them from tumbling into the endless, black abyss and being lost to the people who cared about them. It was torture knowing the end was so near but waiting so slowly for it to come for them. She never wanted to be in this situation. To be fair, she'd never expected that she would be in a dilemma like this._

_The blonde would have given anything to the salmon-haired man holding her in his arms. Anything that it took for him to live, and to keep living, even after she perished and could, perhaps, go to watch over him. _

_She loved him. More than anything._

_Lucy Heartfilia loved Natsu Dragneel._

_And they were both going to die right there, in each other's arms, their blood pooling beneath them as their breathing slowed and they quickly became short of breath. Her vision became blurrier and blurrier until finally, she let her head fall to his bleeding chest. She didn't care that his blood was staining her usually golden locks a deep red. She didn't care that his blood was covering her, seeping into the white dress she wore and pooling underneath them on the floor. She wished he wasn't bleeding, but she couldn't do anything to change that now even if she had tried, and so she let out her breaths slowly. She couldn't pull in enough air to form the words she so desperately wanted to say to him._

I love you.

_And so she said them to herself, tried to say them with her eyes when she tilted her head briefly up to look at him again. To her, it seemed as if he was saying the same thing back, and in the last few moments, it was all that she needed._

I love you.

_The darkness encroached upon her vision and she felt herself slumping against him._

_So this is it, she thought. This is how it all ends._

_And then everything was dark._

* * *

><p>Burning. There was a burning feeling in her chest and she shot up, breathing heavily and searching around frantically in the darkness for something, anything, to take those terrifying images out of her head. Anything to get the image of the knife protruding from his chest out of her head. The images of all of the blood that had been shed by those in her dream…they were stuck in her head. So firmly that she hadn't been able to dislodge them no matter how hard she had tried. And oh, had she tried to get the images out of her head. She never wanted to think of them again.<p>

Burying her face in her hands, somewhat surprised to find that her cheeks were wet, the woman started to shake. Her shoulders jerked as she silently sobbed into her hands.

_Why won't the images go away_? She desperately asked herself. _Why can't I just _forget_?_

She knew the answer, though.

She couldn't forget because that event had changed her life forever. She knew now, more than ever before, that she had to cling to those things that meant the most to her or she might lose them for good. She had to hold her loved ones tightly when she got the chance, and tell them she loved them every single time that she could, because she would never know when something might pull her away from them or them away from her. And everyone else had learned the same things. Fairy Tail would never be the same since Icarus and his minions had taken Lucy and Natsu had gone after them, but they would always be protective of their nakama.

So she couldn't forget.

The memory was too important and life-changing to forget.

* * *

><p>"You don't look like you've slept at all," her husband said as she walked into the kitchen the next morning. "And I know you weren't really asleep when I got up earlier."<p>

She just sat down at the table and held her face in her hands, taking a few deep breaths. She was glad he understood her. Her husband of six years understood her better than anyone else ever had or ever could, and she was glad that he was here with her now. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him.

"It was _that_ dream again, wasn't it?"

He knew, too, that she still had dreams about that fateful day.

It had been seven years since the event that had changed their lives forever had taken place. Seven years since a crazed cult had kidnapped a precious member of the Fairy Tail family and enraged another. Seven years since the demon Nezra had taken control of the blonde Lucy and tried to force her to kill her comrades. And seven years since the day that everything Fairy Tail had known had come to an abrupt end.

Nothing was ever simple anymore. Each day was a fight to get through. A seemingly never-ending struggle with a past that she just wanted to forget. None of the Fairy Tail members wanted to remember the events of that day, but they knew they had to keep it in mind. It had changed them all.

Mirajane and Fried had finally been able to fully recognize their feelings for one another after seeing the bloody Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia in the middle of that chamber, blood pooling around them as they lay slumped in each other's arms. It was Fried, inconceivably, who had broken first and admitted that he didn't know what he'd do if something like that were to have happened to Mirajane. And after them, Levy and Gajeel had revealed to everyone else a relationship that they had been hiding. Even the cold-hearted dragonslayer had to admit that he wouldn't be able to control his rage if someone or something tried to harm Levy as Icarus and those minions had harmed Lucy. He could imagine just how Natsu had felt at that time. Erza was able to accept everything that Jellal was and had become and was willing to wait for him to get over their age barrier. And Juvia had finally won over Gray by confessing up front, tears in her eyes. Revealing what she hadn't been hiding very well but what her Gray-sama was still oblivious to had been hard for her, but rewarding. He hadn't realized his own mixed feelings for her yet, but it didn't take much longer. He knew he didn't want to lose her now. And Happy and Charle had finally become a pair, as well as Romeo and Wendy with some time, and even more inconceivably than Gajeel and Levy falling for each other had been Laxus and Cana. Evergreen and Elfman was even less of a shock than Laxus and Cana had been. But everyone was realizing that what they had and _who_ they had were more important than anything else.

Fairy Tail was a crazy guild. Loud and always quibbling and fighting, but even so…they cared. They were more like a family than most guilds were. One event that involved only two of their members still had such an effect on all of them.

Life had changed so much. For a short while, the fights had died down, but as everyone came to terms with what had happened, the members of Fairy Tail began to become their old selves again. A new rule was added to the guild's official rule book (which was rather empty, considering). It read that all members of Fairy Tail were to care for and protect their nakama no matter what. Through thick and thin, troubles, hardships, and everything else, they were to stand as one and as a family against whatever odds they may face. And everyone was fine with that.

"It's been seven years…" he said after a long silence, breaking the woman's train of thought.

"…I know…" she replied softly, staring at her hands. "I know. I just…"

"I know," he repeated her words, his larger hands reaching across the table to cup both of her pale, delicate hands in his own. "I know it's hard, but it's in the past. You've got to put it behind you."

She wanted to tell him that she knew, again, but she kept her mouth closed because the images were running through her mind again and the tears were filling her eyes and _why couldn't it just stop_?

She took a steadying breath then, looking up at her husband, her eyes filling with tears.

"I know…that I need to move on. But it's so…so hard. I almost lost everything I cared about, and I never want to feel that way again. I felt so helpless…like nothing I had ever done would make up for my failure to do anything when it was most important. That day…it's defined everything since then, hasn't it? It shaped the rest of our lives, whether we want to accept it or not…. It's just so hard to let it go. I want to forget, but I…I know that I can't. It wouldn't be right."

"You silly woman," he sighed, reaching up to cup the side of her face. "You have moved on, for the most part. Haven't you realized?"

She stared at him blankly for a minute, then thought about what he'd said and shortly understood.

The dreams only came on _this_ day every year. The day when it had all happened.

"But…"

"No buts," he shook his head at her, his thumb brushing away a stray tear. "This only happens on _that_ day, every year. The rest of the year, you're fine. You're the same carefree, smiling woman that I fell in love with all those years ago. But on this day, you're vulnerable. I understand that, but I also know that you can fight through this."

She loved him. So, so much. She loved him for believing in her even when she couldn't believe in herself and for believing that she could do what she thought was almost impossible. He was always there for her, always right beside her and always, _always_ encouraging her. He was her lifeline, the one thing that had kept her going through the hard times since that day. Because she had him, she could make it through even when such a tragedy had happened.

"Thank you," she said, smiling falteringly at him. But it was a true smile, and he knew it. She took him in then as she wiped her tears with the hand that was freed from his grasp. He had a strong jaw line, defined and sculpted perfectly. It made his whole visage handsome. He was still just as well muscled as he had been before that catastrophe and she loved to run her hands across his chest. Her salmon-haired husband always spared a smile for her when he knew she needed to see it, just as she did for him. And even if she felt that the scars on his chest were all her fault, he never blamed her for any of it and that made her love him even more.

The blonde woman pushed her chair back and circled around the small kitchen table as her husband stood up. She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest. She would never, ever let this man go. He meant too much to her, and that incident all that time ago had taught her that the hard way.

"Mama? Papa?" a tired-sounding voice came, and a yawn followed the questioning tone. The two adults turned to look, spying a little blonde-haired boy rubbing his eyes and holding a dragon plush that Gajeel and Levy had given him. "What's for breakfast?"

The five and a half year old boy had his father's dark eyes combined with his mother's blonde hair, and was terribly adorable. Despite the hair, he looked so much like his father it wasn't even possible to deny that they were father and son. She smiled as she looked upon her firstborn child, revising her earlier thoughts. As the pink-haired little girl rounded the corner after her older brother,

"Yeah," the four year old girl pouted adorably, blinking at the kitchen light's brightness. "I'm hun'ry."

"Of course you are, Luna!" the woman went to pick up the little girl, as her husband had already reached their son and twirled him into a bear hug. "You're a growing girl, aren't you?"

Luna giggled as her mother tickled her tummy, her childish lisp in evidence as she asked her Mama to stop. The little boy, Judo, laughed at his sister's plight until his father did the same to him.

And the blonde woman realized, as she helped her daughter into a chair at the table, that she had everything she could ever want right here. She had a loving family, and it was all she had ever wanted. She knew that she would never let them go and as the first snow of the season began to fall outside the window and she saw the glee glowing on their faces, she promised she'd never let them be hurt that way. Even if events like that made those involved stronger, it was never something she would wish on anyone.

"Can we go out an p'ay, in da snow, Mama?" said Luna, missing the 'L' in her request to 'play'.

"Of course you can, sweetie, but you have to eat breakfast first and then bundle up!"

The two children groaned, and the parents just laughed.

* * *

><p>Arms wrapped around the blonde mother of two from behind, and she smiled at the utter warmth her husband radiated.<p>

"I love you, Luce."

She smiled at the words, watching her son get nailed in the face by a snowball from Mira and Fried's daughter Eliza. He frowned, whined, then tackled the slightly older girl into the snow as the son of Juvia and Gray was helping Luna build a snowman, despite the fact that she accidentally melted it down a few times and they had to start over again.

"I love you too, Natsu."

* * *

><p><em>Dear Mama and Papa,<em>

_How are you? It's been so long. About this time last year, I think, when I last had that nightmare. I'm sorry about that. I thought I'd write you again to tell you that Luna and Judo are doing just fine. They're growing up healthy, and that's all I've ever wanted for them. I know you understand that. _

_I think Luna's getting a crush on Leon, the son of Gray and Juvia. They're about the same age and it's really cute. Leon inherited Gray's ice abilities and Luna has Natsu's fire powers, so it's an interesting combination. I know this is thinking really far ahead, but I wouldn't be surprised if they got married someday. Don't they say that opposites attract? And he wouldn't give up on Luna when they tried to make a snowman today, even though she kept accidentally melting him, so I think he might like her, too. Just to be able to see this kind of puppy love in my own children is exciting, since I never thought I'd get to this point. Not since everything that happened seven years ago. But I'm moving on, slowly but surely. I know you'd understand._

_I wanted you to know that. Everything is going fine with us. Natsu and I are as good as ever, and we have the best family in the world. It's all I could ever ask for. _

_I love you guys, more than I could ever say._

_-Lucy._

* * *

><p>Lucy Heartfilia-Dragneel would never forget everything that had happened to them, but she wouldn't change the results for anything in the world. Even if she could go back, she might leave it the way it was, because changing something might change everything and she never wanted that.<p>

Everything was fine now, and that's the way it would stay.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

**(For Real This Time)**

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, this is how it -officially- ends. For real this time. No more epilogues, nada. I'm literally about to cry as I'm typing this, because <em>I don't want to let this go<em>. But like all things, a fanfiction must come to an end, and to use a kind of silly quote, "The buck stops here." **

**Guys, I love you all. You are the best readers EVER and I thank you so, so much for sticking with me. Everyone, read the following list and remember that all of you are part of what made this story everything that it is. Inspiration and my metaphorical blood, my sweat and my tears, the aching in my hands and fingers and arms and even my neck as I sat at this computer for hours to type out the chapters to this story...all of it is because you guys are such good supporters. If you know some of the others, give them a shout-out. Say thanks to each other. Because seriously, guys, you deserve it.**

**Those who have accounts are as follows:**

_**aphrodite931 -** I love you like a sister! I don't know if you've been reading the last few chapters, Ari, but I know why if you haven't been, and I understand. But thank you. The very first reviewer: that was you. And I'll always love you for that. XD_

**_ShiningStellar-_**_ You're one of the very best, Mira! You consistently reviewed (that is, you reviewed every single chapter from the very beginning) and you don't know how thankful I am for that!_

**_litashe_**_ - you only reviewed three times, but all three times I was glad you reviewed. The child mastermind of the Writing Challenges forum - we should all bow down to you! Thanks, girl._

**_Senbei x Cup Ramen_**_- oh, yeah. You reviewed every single chapter, too. Did you realize? And your reviews always made me laugh. Kudos to you!_

**_Soraye_**_- I only ever heard from you once, but I'm still glad you thought to review even that much. Thank you so much._

**_Panda24_**_- Same as above. You only ever reviewed once, but you're amazing. Thank you._

**_babyMaya14_**_- you reviewed twice, but that doesn't make you any less awesome than those who reviewed more. I'll take whatever I can get! So, thank you so much for the support!_

**_Mysty Midnight_**_- hey, girl. Missed you in the forums, but...life happens, eh? And thank you so much. You may have just reviewed once, but even that much from someone as awesome as you is great. :)_

**_Green Tide_**_- Twice, you reviewed, and twice you made me one of the happiest fanfic authors ever. Thank you!_

**_Princess Happy_**_-You reviewed every single chapter, too. And always with a giggle-like gihihihi or similar. It made me smile._

**_Akarui Nightshade_**_- I do believe you started out with a different name...but all the same you still reviewed seven times and that's amazing. Thank you so, so much!_

**_sayo-chan64_**_- you've become one of my favorite people to talk to. You only reviewed twice, but we've PMed far more than that. Thank you for the interesting conversations!_

**_Footster26_**_- I remember thinking 'what a name!' when you first reviewed, but I'm glad you did review. Not only that first time, but four more times, for a grand total of five. So, thank you!_

**_NyxOfIce_**_ - you only reviewed once, but I'm still glad that my story was interesting enough for you to leave that one review. If you still read it, thank you!_

**_MJ-RaM'XD_**_ - what a name! I don't knwo what to make of it. You reviewed once, but that's all right. Just knowing you read at least that far is enough for me :)_

**_Wicked0813_**_- Well, well, well. I remember you. You reviewed twice, but just like sayo-chan, we've messaged MUCH more than that. Luv ya! Thank you so much. :)_

**_Oharu chicken_**_ - Oh, look! it's one of those who stalks my stories! Sort of. But I don't mind. You make me grin whenever you review. So thanks for the six reviews for A Fairy's Blood!_

**_MaJorReader619_**_- I recognize this name, too. Six times you made me one happy camper. Thanks for the support!_

**_AkumaNoKiseki_**_- what to say? You're...you. And you're awesome. You reviewed five times, and from those reviews stemmed a PM friendship that I wouldn't trade for anything. Thanks to you, too! XD_

**_Nami-chaan_**_- I heard from you six times, and that makes all the difference between hearing from you and not hearing from you. Thanks for supporting me!_

**_xmizuwaterx_**_- I only got to hear from you once, but that's okay. Every review counts, and I'm grateful to you for reading even that much!_

**_Fiamatta Montague_**_- to be honest, I loved how you weren't afraid to tell me if you thought the scene was a little rushed. I smiled each of the five times I was notified that you'd reviewed. _

**_xporcelain_**_ - Porce, Porce, Porce. I only heard from you once, but shoot, hearing from you at ALL makes me grin like a fool. Go, you! _

**_Rogue Soul Alchemist_**_ - you got two back-to-back reviews in, somehow. Those two reviews were the only time I heard from you, but they still made me feel awesome. Thank you._

**_Mae Snapdragon_**_- You reviewed because it had been around my birthday, and that's all, but I'm still glad you did. Thank you so much._

**_kpopgurl88_**_- You reviewed once, but again, it helped make this story what it was. Thank you for that!_

**_keesogreat_**_- I got to hear from you twice, and your name always made me grin because I can never make sense of it. Thank you for inadvertently making me smile :)_

**_summer's lullaby _**_- I only got one review from you, but that's just fine. Knowing you liked it makes everything better._

**_SakuraTreeLover_**_- A Fairy's Blood was graced with your reviews three times. There aren't enough words to say. Thank you!_

**_Namikaze360_**_-hello, stranger. Like a few of the others, you only reviewed once, but like I keep saying, every review helped shape this and so I thank you. So much._

**_Black Blood Alliance_**_- Thank you for your one review. It made me grin, even when I reread it just a few minutes ago._

**_tini17_**_ - Thank you for reviewing, even just once. If you're still reading, you should know that every review counts. _

**_GreenxStrawberry_**_-First off, your name amuses me. But more than that, thanks for reviewing the one time you did._

**_FloraFaveXNara-Wire_**_- your name is another one of the ones I don't understand, but that's all right. You reviewed twice, and I'm thankful to you._

**_angelofdeath8254_**_- another of those who reviewed twice. You have my gratitude. You don't even know how thankful I am._

**_Fan25_**_- I suppose your review meant that you were a fan of this for a while, too? So thanks :)_

**_ashley-myth_**_ - Thank you so much for the support. One review is all I need to know that someone new likes one of my creations._

**_cael05_**_- your reviews (there were three of them) are well appreciated, since you even admitted in one of them that you're usually a solid Loke x Lucy fan. Thank you!_

**_arkee_**_- One review from you. One review that helped me see more clearly than ever that my story could evoke emotions in readers, and that means the world. Thank you._

**_Rieyama Yuuko_**_- I think your username is rather pretty, if that isn't too weird of me to say. Twice you asked for updates, and it helped me get the spur I needed to write more._

**_OhtaSuzuke_**_- Hey. I know you. You're that once person who reviewed three times and made me grin. Thanks!_

**_kitsunekitsune-bi_**_- words cannot express how glad I am that you startedc your first of two reviews with 'words cannot express...'. Haha. Thank you for being there._

**_Chrys Stone_**_ - You, who reviewed only once, made me happy. You called my cliffhanger the 'best cliffhanger ever'. Thank you for liking my evilness as much as I do._

**_61wisampa_**_ - another one of those names I don't understand. But who cares, right? Twice you reviewed, and your threats made me grin, because hey, I like that I can cause strong reactions. Thank you!_

**_IloveallAnime15_**_- I love a lot of anime, but not quite all. You're a pretty amazing person, then! Thank you for being there and reviewing twice, because it means a lot!_

**_Demontailedfox_**_- one review is all it takes. I'm glad I reached you with A Fairy's Blood._

**_iLoveNatsu_**_-hey, what a coincidence. I love Natsu, too! Though I think Lucy might just like him more. Haha. Thanks so much for dropping by to review the time that you did!_

**_Shannyrox101_**_- Every review counts. Thank you for takign the time to leave me one :)_

**_Chocopipe_**_- I remember you because I tried to reply to your review, but you don't allow PMs. So I'll thank you very much from here, in the event that you've been reading._

**_corialanus_**_- Thank you for being there the two times that you reviewed. You were just to chapter five when I posted chapter ten, I believe. Or something like that. Haha. :)_

**_JazzJenzie_**_- for some reason, I didn't rememer your name, so in the event that I never replied to your review because of a glitch where I didn't get notification emails (which did happen), thank you!_

**_animelover0001_**_- you know what? I love anime too. Haha. And I thank you for calling me evil, because it's what I was going for!_

**_empty-spaces_**_- thank you so much for reviewing. You told me I could 'write my hands off' and that made my day. _

**_moni-neechan_**_- neechan! Haha. Your reviews on this (and my other stories) make me smile. I always like hearing from repeat readers :)_

**_OrbitalTM4_**_- you're another one who's read several of my stories. I think that deserves a huge thank you as well, so THANK YOU._

**_XxXEnvyXxX_**_- you're the lucky one. You just read this today and I'm already updating the epilogue. I regret to inform you that no, there won't be a sequel, because this kind of destroys the need for there to be one. But thank you so much for reading anyway. :)_

**And there are a few anonymous reviewers who are as follows:**

_**LeighAnn **x 3, **Melyin, Bellator-Tonitrus, Silly **x 2**, NoNameInvisiCat, titis9877, anonymous, Sarah, Hobomaniac, NaLu Fan** x 2**, Natasha, and Ari. **- guys, you may not have accounts, or maybe you were too lazy to log in (haven't we all had those days?), but thank you nonetheless. And I must say that, NoNameInvisiCat, if there's no one with that username you should totally use it, because it made me giggle._

**_To _****_everyone: _**_Thank you so much. 56 people who have accounts and twelve who don't...Everything you guys have said made this story what it is. And to those who may not have reviewed, your support was no less important. I love you all._

**_Thank you._**


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